Bible in 90 Days

Omri Reigns over Israel and Builds Samaria

²¹ The army^[a] of Israel was divided into two parties: half of the army^[b] were loyal to Ginath’s son Tibni and wanted to make him king, and half were loyal to Omri. ²² But the army^[c] that was loyal to Omri was victorious over Ginath’s son Tibni. Tibni later died and Omri became king. ²³ During the thirty-first year of the reign of^[d] King Asa of Judah, Omri became king over Israel. He reigned for twelve years, six of them at Tirzah. ²⁴ He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents^[e] of silver, fortified the hill, and named the city Samaria after Shemer, the former owner of the hill. ²⁵ Omri practiced what the Lord considered to be evil, doing far more evil than anyone who had reigned before him. ²⁶ He lived just like Nebat’s son Jeroboam, and by his sin he led Israel into sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel with their idolatry. ²⁷ Now the rest of Omri’s accomplishments, including the power that he demonstrated, are recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel, are they not? ²⁸ So Omri died, as had his ancestors, and he was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab became king in his place.

Ahab Reigns over Israel and Marries Jezebel

²⁹ Omri’s son Ahab became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of King Asa of Judah. He^[f] reigned over Israel in Samaria for 22 years. ³⁰ Omri’s son Ahab practiced more of what the Lord considered to be evil than anyone who had lived before him. ³¹ In fact, as if it were nothing for him to live like Nebat’s son Jeroboam, Ahab married Jezebel, the daughter of King Ethbaal of Sidon. Then he went out to serve Baal and worship him. ³² He built an altar for Baal in a temple for Baal that he constructed in Samaria. ³³ Ahab also erected an Asherah, doing more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all of the kings of Israel who had reigned before him. ³⁴ It was during Ahab’s reign that Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations just as his firstborn son Abiram was dying, and he erected its gates while his youngest son Segub was dying, thus fulfilling the message that the Lord delivered through Nun’s son Joshua.^[g]

Elijah Calls for a Drought

17 Elijah the foreigner,^[h] who was an alien resident from Gilead, told Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, in whose presence I’m standing, there will be neither dew nor rain these next several years, except when I say so.”

² Later, this message came to him from the Lord: ³ “Leave here and go into hiding at the Wadi^[i] Cherith, where it enters the Jordan River.^{[j] 4} You will be able to drink from that brook, and I’ve commanded some crows to sustain you there.”

⁵ So Elijah^[k] left and did exactly what the Lord had told him to do—he went to live near the Wadi^[l] Cherith, where it enters the Jordan River. ⁶ Crows would bring him bread and meat both in the morning and in the evening, and he would drink from the brook. ⁷ But after a while,^[m] the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.

Elijah Visits the Widowed Mother of Zarephath

⁸ Then this message came to him from the Lord: ⁹ “Get up, move to Zarephath in Sidon, and stay there. Look! I’ve commanded a widow to sustain you there.”

¹⁰ So he got up and went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the entrance to the city, a widow was there gathering sticks. So he asked her, “Please, may I have some water in a cup so I can have a drink.” ¹¹ While she was on her way to get the water, he called out to her, “Would you please also bring me a piece of bread while you’re at it?”^[n]

¹² “As the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have so much as a muffin, just a handful of flour in a bowl and some oil left in a bottle. Now I’m going to find some sticks so I can cook a last meal for my son and for me. Then we’re going to eat it and die.”

¹³ But Elijah told her, “You can stop being afraid. Go and do what you said, but first make me a muffin and bring it to me. Then make a meal for yourself and for your son, ¹⁴ because this is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘That jar of flour will not run out, nor will that bottle of oil become empty until the very day that the Lord sends rain on the surface of the ground.’”

¹⁵ So she went out and did precisely what Elijah told her to do. As a result, Elijah,^[o] the widow,^[p] and her son^[q] were fed for days. ¹⁶ The jar of flour never ran out and the bottle of oil never became empty, just as the Lord had promised^[r] through^[s] Elijah.

Elijah Restores the Widow’s Son

¹⁷ Sometime later, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. In fact, his illness became so severe that he died.^{[t] 18} “What do we have in common, you man of God?” she accused Elijah. “You came to me so you could uncover my guilt! And you’re responsible for the death of my son!”

¹⁹ “Give me your son,” he replied. Then he took him from her lap, carried him upstairs to the room where he lived, and laid him on his bed. ²⁰ Then he called out to the Lord and asked him, “Lord my God, have you also brought evil to this dear widow with whom I am living as her guest? Have you caused the death of her son?” ²¹ Then he stretched himself three times and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, please cause the soul of this little boy to return to him.”

²² The Lord listened to Elijah, and the soul of the little boy returned to him, and he revived. ²³ Then Elijah took the little boy downstairs from the upper chamber back into the main house and delivered him to his mother. “Look,” Elijah told her, “your son is alive.”

²⁴ The woman responded to Elijah, “Now at last I’ve really learned that you are a man of God and that what you have to say about the Lord^[u] is the truth.”

Elijah Rebukes Ahab

18 Quite some time later—three years later!—this message from the Lord came to Elijah: “Go visit Ahab, and I’ll send some rain to the surface of the ground.” ² So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab, right when the famine in Samaria was most severe.

³ Ahab called for Obadiah, his household supervisor. This man, who feared the Lord very much, ⁴ had taken 100 prophets and had hidden them by fifties in a cave, providing them with food and water when Jezebel was trying to destroy the Lord’s prophets.

⁵ Ahab had instructed Obadiah, “Go throughout the land to all of the water springs and to all of the valleys. Maybe we’ll find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive. Also, maybe we won’t have to kill some of our cattle.” ⁶ So they divided the land between them so they could conduct their survey. Ahab went off by himself in one direction and Obadiah went off by himself in the other.

⁷ While Obadiah was on the road, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him and bowed down with his face to the ground. “It’s you, isn’t it, my master Elijah?”

⁸ “I am,” he replied. “Go tell your master, ‘Look! Elijah!’”

⁹ But Obadiah replied, “What did I do wrong, that you would put me in a position where Ahab would execute me? ¹⁰ As surely as the Lord your God lives, there isn’t a nation or kingdom where my master hasn’t tried to find you. Whenever they would say ‘He isn’t here,’ he forced that kingdom or nation to swear that they hadn’t seen you. ¹¹ But now you’re saying ‘Go tell your master, “Elijah is here!”’ ¹² As soon as I’ve left you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you off to I don’t know where! Then when I go tell Ahab and he can’t find you, he’ll kill me, even though I have been your servant and have feared the Lord since I was young! ¹³ Hasn’t anyone told you, my master, what I did when Jezebel was killing the Lord’s prophets? I hid 100 of the Lord’s prophets by fifties in a cave and provided food and water for them. ¹⁴ Now you’re saying, ‘Go tell your master, “Elijah’s here!”’ He’s sure to kill me!”

¹⁵ But Elijah promised him, “As the Lord of the Heavenly Armies lives, in whose presence I stand, I will appear to Ahab today.”

¹⁶ So Obadiah went out to meet Ahab and reported to him. Then Ahab went to meet Elijah. ¹⁷ When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab asked him, “Is it really you, you destroyer of Israel?”

¹⁸ But Elijah^[v] replied, “I’m no destroyer of Israel. But you and your ancestor’s household have been doing that, because you have abandoned the Lord’s commandments and have followed the Baals. ¹⁹ So go gather all of Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. Bring along 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the Asherah who are funded at Jezebel’s expense.”^[w]

Elijah Defeats the Prophets of Baal

²⁰ Ahab sent for the Israelis and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel, ²¹ where Elijah approached all the people and asked them, “How long will you keep hesitating^[x] between both sides? If the Lord is God, go after him. If Baal, go after him.”

But the people didn’t say a word.

²² So Elijah told the people, “I’m the only one left over as a prophet of the Lord, am I? But Baal’s prophets number 450 men? ²³ So let them provide two oxen. They can choose one ox for themselves. Cut it up, lay it on top of some wood, but don’t set fire to it. I will prepare the other ox and lay it on top of some wood, and I won’t set fire to it. ²⁴ Then you can call on the name of your god, and I’ll call on the name of the Lord. Let the God who answers by fire be our God!”

“That’s a good idea!” all the people shouted.

²⁵ So Elijah told the prophets of Baal, “Choose an ox for yourselves and you prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but don’t set fire to the offering.”

²⁶ So they took the ox that was given to them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from early morning until noon. “Baal! Answer us!” they cried. But there was no response. Nobody answered. So they kept on dancing^[y] around the altar that they had made.

²⁷ Starting about noon, Elijah began to tease them:

“Shout louder!

“He’s a god, so maybe he’s busy.

“Maybe he’s relieving himself.

“Maybe he’s busy someplace.

“Maybe he’s taking a nap and somebody needs to wake him up.”

²⁸ So the prophets of Baal^[z] cried even louder and slashed themselves with swords and lances until their blood gushed out all over them, as was their custom. ²⁹ They kept on raving right through midday and until it was time to offer the evening sacrifice, but there was still no response. Nobody answered, and nobody paid attention.

³⁰ Eventually, Elijah told everybody, “Come here!” So everybody approached him, and he repaired the Lord’s altar that had been torn down. ³¹ Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes of Jacob’s descendants, to whom the message from the Lord had come that “Israel is to be your name.” ³² So Elijah used the stones to build an altar to the name of the Lord. But then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold two measures^[aa] of seed. ³³ Then he laid the wood in order, cut the bull into pieces, and laid them on top of the wood.

“Fill four pitchers with water,” he ordered. “Then pour them out on the burnt offering and the wood.”

³⁴ “Do it a second time,” he ordered. So they did it a second time.

“Do it a third time,” he said. So they did it a third time. ³⁵ The water ran down around the altar and completely filled the trench.^[ab]

Elijah’s Prayer and God’s Answer by Fire

³⁶ As the time for the evening offering arrived, Elijah the prophet approached and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I, your servant, have done all of this in obedience to your word. ³⁷ Answer me, Lord! Answer me so that this people may know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning back their hearts again.”

³⁸ Right then the Lord’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, the dust, and even the water that was in the trench! ³⁹ When all the people saw what had happened, they fell flat on their faces and cried out “The Lord is God! The Lord is God!”

⁴⁰ But Elijah said, “Arrest the prophets of Baal. Don’t let even one of them get away.” So the people^[ac] seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi^[ad] Kishon and executed them there.

The Rain Storm Ends the Drought

⁴¹ After this, Elijah told Ahab, “Get up and have something to eat and drink, because there’s the sound of a coming rainstorm.” ⁴² So Ahab got up to get something to eat and drink while Elijah went back up to the top of Mount^[ae] Carmel, where he bowed low to the ground and placed his face between his knees.

⁴³ Then he told his young servant, “Go and look toward the sea.”

So he went and looked out to sea. “Nothing there,” he said.

But Elijah told him to go back seven times. ⁴⁴ On the seventh look, he said, “Look! There’s a cloud, a small one, about the size of a man’s hand. It’s coming up out of the sea!”

“Get up and find Ahab!” Elijah^[af] said. “Tell him, ‘Mount your chariot and ride down the mountain^[ag] so the storm doesn’t stop you.’”

⁴⁵ A little while later, the sky turned black with storm clouds and winds, and there was a heavy shower. So Ahab rode off to Jezreel. ⁴⁶ After Ahab had left,^[ah] the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah, and he tucked his mantle into his belt and outran Ahab in a race to the city gate of Jezreel.

Elijah Runs from Jezebel

19 Ahab complained to Jezebel about everything that Elijah had done, especially the part about him killing all the prophets of Baal with a sword. ² Jezebel sent a messenger to tell Elijah, “May the gods do the same to me and even more if tomorrow about this time I haven’t made you like one of those prophets you had killed.”^[ai]

³ Elijah was terrified, so he got up and ran for his life to Beer-sheba, which is part of Judah, and left his servant there ⁴ and ran for a day’s journey deep into the wilderness. He found a juniper tree, sat down under it, and prayed that he could die. He asked God, “Enough! Lord! Take my life, because I’m not better than my ancestors!” ⁵ Then he lay down and went to sleep under the juniper tree. All of a sudden, there was an angel, who kept grabbing him and telling him, “Get up! Eat!”

⁶ So he looked around, and there near his head was a muffin sitting on top of some heated stones, along with a jar of water. Elijah ate and drank and then lay down again. ⁷ Later, the angel of the Lord came a second time, grabbed him, and said “Get up! Eat! The journey ahead^[aj] is too difficult for you!” ⁸ So Elijah^[ak] got up, ate and drank, and survived on that one meal for 40 days and nights as he set out on his journey to Horeb, God’s mountain.

Elijah Talks to God at Horeb

⁹ Elijah^[al] arrived at a cave and stayed there. All of a sudden this message came from the Lord: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

¹⁰ “I’ve been very zealous for the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies,” he replied. “The Israelis have abandoned your covenant, demolished your altars, executed your prophets with swords, and I—that’s right, just me!—am the only one left. Now they’re seeking my life, to get rid of me!”

¹¹ “Go out,” he responded, “and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord.” And there was the Lord, passing by! A tremendous, mighty windstorm was tearing at the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces in the presence of the Lord, but the Lord was not in the windstorm. After the wind there came an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake there came fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, there was the sound of a gentle whisper. ¹³ As soon as Elijah heard it, he covered his face in his mantle, went outside, and stood at the entrance to the cave. And there a voice spoke to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

¹⁴ “I’ve been very zealous for the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies,” he replied. “The Israelis have abandoned your covenant, demolished your altars, executed your prophets with swords, and I—that’s right, just me!—am the only one left. Now they’re seeking my life, to get rid of me!”

¹⁵ The Lord replied to him, “Go! Return to Damascus, and when you get there, anoint Hazael as king over Aram, ¹⁶ anoint Nimshi’s son Jehu as king over Israel, and anoint Shaphat’s son Elisha from Abel-meholah as a prophet to replace you. ¹⁷ Whoever escapes from Hazael’s sword Jehu will execute, and whoever escapes from Jehu’s sword Elisha will put to death. ¹⁸ Nevertheless, I’ve reserved 7,000 in Israel who have neither bowed their knees to Baal nor kissed him.”

Elisha Chosen to Replace Elijah

¹⁹ Elijah left there and located Shaphat’s son Elisha, who was plowing, along with a total of^[am] twelve pairs of oxen.^[an] (He was plowing with the twelfth pair.) As Elijah passed by, he tossed his cloak at Elisha.^{[ao] 20} He abandoned the oxen, ran off to follow Elijah, and asked him, “Please, let me kiss my mother and father good-bye, and then I’ll come after you.”

“Go back again,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?”

²¹ So Elisha^[ap] turned back, took the pair of oxen, sacrificed them, boiled their flesh using the farm implements for fuel, and gave the food to the people with him.^[aq] Then he got up, followed Elijah, and became his servant.

Ahab Attacks the Arameans

20 A little while later, King Ben-hadad of Aram mustered an army of cavalry and chariots in a military confederacy with 32 kings, invaded Samaria, and set up siege encampments there. ² Then he sent envoys to visit King Ahab of Israel and told him, “This is what Ben-hadad says: ³ ‘Your silver and gold belong to me. So do the most beautiful of your wives and children.’”

⁴ “Whatever you want, your majesty,” the king of Israel answered. “I belong to you, as does everything I own.”

⁵ After delivering Ahab’s answer,^[ar] the envoys returned with this message: “This is what Ben-hadad says: ‘I’ve sent my envoys to you to tell you that your silver, gold, wives, and children are to be given to me. ⁶ About this time tomorrow, I’ll send my servants to you, and they’ll search through your palace and your servants’ houses. Whatever is important to you will be seized^[as] and taken away.’”

⁷ Then the king of Israel called together all of the elders of the land and told them, “Please note that this man is here looking for trouble. He sent a message to me, demanding my wives, my children, and my silver and gold, and I haven’t refused him.”

⁸ “Don’t listen to him,” all the elders and the people replied. “And don’t agree to his terms.”^[at]

⁹ So he told Ben-hadad’s envoys, “Tell his majesty the king, ‘Everything that you asked for the first time I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’” So the envoys left to deliver Ahab’s response. They^[au] returned a little while later.

¹⁰ Beh-hadad sent this message back: “May the gods do so to me, and more than that also, if the dust that remains of Samaria is enough to fill up a few handfuls for all of the armies at my disposal.”

¹¹ But the king of Israel replied, “Tell him, ‘The one who is starting to strap on his battle armor should never brag like the one who is taking it off.’”

¹² Ben-hadad received Ahab’s response^[av] while he was celebrating with his kings in the battle pavilions. “Sound ‘Battle Stations!’” he ordered, and the army began to prepare their attack.

God’s Prophets Rebuke Ahab

¹³ Right about then, a prophet approached King Ahab of Israel and told him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You see all of this great big army, do you? Well now, I’m going to deliver them all right into your hand, and you will learn that I am the Lord!’”

¹⁴ “By whom?” Ahab asked.

“This is what the Lord says,” the prophet replied. “‘By the young men who serve as officials within the provinces.’”

“Who is to begin the battle?” Ahab asked.

“You,” the prophet answered.

¹⁵ So Ahab^[aw] gathered together 232 young men who served as officials within the provinces and then mustered 7,000 soldiers from among the Israelis. ¹⁶ They attacked at noon, just as Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the battle pavilions, along with the 32 kings who had joined him. ¹⁷ The young men who served as officials within the provinces led the charge, and somebody informed Ben-hadad, “Some men have come out from Samaria.”

¹⁸ “Take them alive, whether they’ve come in peace or not,” he ordered.

¹⁹ Meanwhile, as the young men who served as officials within the provinces left the city, their army followed after them. ²⁰ Each man struck down his opponent, and the Arameans ran away with Israel in pursuit. King Ben-hadad of Aram escaped on horseback with the help of^[ax] his cavalry. ²¹ The king of Israel went out and attacked the cavalry and chariots and killed the Arameans in a massive victory.^[ay]

²² The prophet approached the king of Israel and told him, “Go replenish your forces and prepare for the future, because early this next year the king of Aram will attack you again.”

The Arameans are Defeated

²³ Sure enough, the advisors to the king of Aram told him, “Their gods are mountain gods. That’s why they were stronger than we were. But when we fight them on the plains, we’re certain to be the stronger army! ²⁴ So do this: remove the kings from command^[az] and replace them with captains. ²⁵ Then replace the army that you lost, horse-for-horse and chariot-for-chariot. We’ll fight them on the plains, and we’re certain to be the stronger army.” Ben-hadad^[ba] listened to what they had to say and carried out their advice.

²⁶ Early the next year, Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and invaded Aphek in a battle against Israel. ²⁷ The Israelis were mustered, equipped with provisions, and sent out to fight. The Israeli encampment looked like two little flocks of goats compared to how the Aramean encampments^[bb] filled the countryside!

²⁸ Right about then, a man of God approached and told the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Arameans keep saying “The Lord is a mountain god, but isn’t a valley god,” I’m going to deliver this entire vast army right into your control, so you’ll learn that I really am the Lord.’” ²⁹ So they remained in opposing camps for seven days. Then on the seventh day the battle commenced, and the Israelis killed 100,000 Aramean infantry troops in a single day. ³⁰ The rest of the Aramean army retreated into Aphek, but the city wall collapsed on 27,000 soldiers who had taken shelter there. Ben-hadad himself ran away and hid inside a closet^[bc] somewhere in the city.

³¹ “Look, now,” his advisors suggested, “we’ve heard that the Israeli kings are merciful. So let’s clothe ourselves with sackcloth, tie our hair back with ropes, and go out to the king of Israel. Maybe he’ll spare your life.” ³² So they put on some sackcloth, tied their hair back with ropes, and approached the king of Israel. “Your servant Ben-hadad says this,” they said. “Please let me live.”

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

³³ Ben-hadad’s advisors,^[bd] quickly analyzing the signs in what Ahab was saying, responded, “Yes, your brother Ben-hadad.”

“Go get him,” Ahab responded. So Ben-hadad came out to him, and Ahab took him up into his personal chariot.

³⁴ Ben-hadad made this promise to Ahab: “I will restore the cities that my ancestors took from your ancestors. You’ll be able to build streets named after yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.”

“With this promise I will release you,” Ahab^[be] replied. So Ahab^[bf] made a treaty with Ben-hadad^[bg] and let him go.

Ahab is Condemned

³⁵ Right about then, one of the members of the guild^[bh] of prophets told another through a message from the Lord: “Please strike me!” But the man refused to do so, ³⁶ so he told him, “Because you haven’t obeyed the Lord’s voice, as soon as you leave here, a lion will kill you.” As soon as the man left, a lion found him and killed him.

³⁷ Later, he found another man and told him, “Please strike me!” So the man struck him and wounded him. ³⁸ Then the prophet left and waited for the king to pass by, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes.

³⁹ As the king was passing by, he cried out to the king and told him, “Your servant went out into the middle of the battle, and a soldier turned aside, brought a prisoner to me, and told me, ‘Guard this man. If he turns up missing for any reason at all, you’ll pay for it with your life or be fined one talent^[bi] of silver.’ ⁴⁰ While your servant was busy here and there, the prisoner escaped.”

The king told him, “By your actions you’ve earned the proper judgment!”

⁴¹ Then the prophet quickly tore off his bandage, and the king of Israel recognized him as being one of the prophets. ⁴² He told the king,^[bj] “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because you let the man whom I had dedicated to destruction go free, therefore your life is to be forfeited for his life, and your people for his people.’”

⁴³ After hearing this, the king of Israel rode back to his palace in Samaria, frustrated and in a foul mood.

The Naboth Vineyard Incident

21 Meanwhile, there was a man named Naboth from Jezreel who owned a vineyard that was located contiguous to King Ahab’s palace in Samaria. ² Ahab addressed Naboth and asked him, “I would like to plant a vegetable garden near my house. Please exchange your vineyard with a better one from me, or if you’d rather have cash, I’ll buy it for its full value.”

³ But Naboth replied to Ahab, “No way! The Lord prohibits the sale to you of the inheritance of my ancestors!”

⁴ Ahab went back to his palace, sullen and in a foul mood, because Naboth the Jezreelite had turned down Ahab’s offer by saying, “I will not transfer my ancestors’ inheritance to you!” He laid down on his bed, curled up with his face to the wall, and refused to eat.

⁵ But his wife Jezebel went to him and asked him, “How is it that you’re so sullen and refusing to eat?”

⁶ “I asked Naboth the Jezreelite, ‘Sell me your vineyard for cash, or if you want, I’ll give you a better one in its place.’ But he refused. He told me, ‘I won’t give you my vineyard!’”

⁷ “Aren’t you the reigning king of Israel?” his wife Jezebel replied. “Get up, have a meal, and get ready to be happy. I’ll go get you the vineyard that Naboth the Jezreelite owns.” ⁸ So she wrote some memos in Ahab’s name, set his personal seal to them, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived with Naboth in his city. ⁹ In the memos, she wrote the following directives: “Proclaim a public fast and seat Naboth in the front row. ¹⁰ Seat two wicked men in front of him, and make them testify against him. Tell them to claim, ‘You cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”

¹¹ So the leading men of the city, along with the elders and nobles who lived there, did precisely what Jezebel had directed them to do. They followed the instructions that she had set forth in the memos: ¹² They proclaimed a public fast and seated Naboth in the front row. ¹³ Two wicked men came in, sat down in front of them, and testified against Naboth in public, “Naboth cursed God and the king!” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death.^[bk]

¹⁴ Afterwards, they sent a message^[bl] to Jezebel that said, “Naboth has been stoned. He’s dead.”

¹⁵ When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she told Ahab, “Get up and confiscate Naboth’s vineyard that he refused to sell you for cash. Naboth the Jezreelite isn’t alive anymore. He’s dead!” ¹⁶ So once he heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab got up, went down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, and confiscated it.

Elijah Rebukes Ahab

¹⁷ That’s when this message from the Lord came to Elijah the foreigner:^{[bm] 18} “Get up and go down to meet King Ahab of Israel. He’s in Samaria. Look! He’s in Naboth’s vineyard, where he’s gone to confiscate it. ¹⁹ Ask the king, ‘Did you commit murder? And now you’re going to steal as well?’ Also tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Where the dogs were licking up Naboth’s blood, dogs will also lick up your blood—that’s right—yours!”’”

²⁰ Later on, Ahab asked Elijah, “Have you found me, my enemy?”

But Elijah answered, “I’ve found you because you sold yourself to do what the Lord considers to be evil! ²¹ Now pay attention! I’m going to send evil in your direction! I will completely sweep you away and eliminate from Ahab every male, whether indentured servant or free, throughout Israel. ²² I will make your household resemble that of Nebat’s son Jeroboam, or like the household of Ahijah’s son Baasha, because of how you’ve provoked me to anger and made Israel to sin. ²³ The Lord also has this to say about Jezebel: ‘Dogs will eat Jezebel within the outer ramparts of Jezreel. ²⁴ Dogs will eat whoever belongs to Ahab and who dies in the city. The birds of the sky will eat whoever dies in the fields.’”

²⁵ It can be truly said that no one else sold himself to practice what the Lord considered to be evil quite like the way Ahab did, because his wife Jezebel incited him. ²⁶ His behavior in pursuing idolatry was detestable, just like the Amorites had done whom the Lord had expelled in front of the army of Israel. ²⁷ Nevertheless, as soon as Ahab heard this message, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He even slept in sackcloth and wandered around meekly.

²⁸ Later, this message from the Lord came to Elijah the foreigner:^{[bn] 29} “Have you noticed that Ahab has humbled himself in my presence? Because he has humbled himself in my presence, I will not bring his evil to harvest^[bo] during his lifetime, but I will bring evil to his household during his son’s lifetime.”

King Ahab Invites Jehoshaphat to Invade Aram^(A)

22 Three years passed without war between Aram and Israel. ² During that third year, King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to visit the king of Israel. ³ The king of Israel asked his servants, “Were you aware that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, but we aren’t doing anything to remove it from the control of the king of Aram?”

⁴ Then he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you join me in battle against Ramoth-gilead?”

“I’m with you,” Jehoshaphat answered the king of Israel. “My army will join yours, and my cavalry will be your cavalry.” ⁵ But Jehoshaphat also asked the king of Israel, “Please ask for a message from the Lord, first.”

⁶ So the king of Israel called in about 400 prophets and asked them, “Should we go attack Ramoth-gilead, or should I call off the attack?”^[bp]

“Go attack them,” they all said, “because the Lord will drop them right into the king’s hand!”

⁷ But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there a prophet of the Lord left here that we could talk to?”

⁸ “There is still one man left by whom we could ask the Lord what to do,”^[bq] the king of Israel replied to Jehoshaphat, “but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me. Instead, he prophesies evil. He is Imla’s son Micaiah.”

But Jehoshaphat rebuked Ahab, “Kings^[br] should never talk like that.”

⁹ Nevertheless, the king of Israel called one of his officers and ordered him, “Bring me Imla’s son Micaiah quickly.”

¹⁰ Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were each sitting on their respective thrones, arrayed in their robes, on the threshing floor at the entrance to the city gate of Samaria, and all of the prophets were prophesying in front of them. ¹¹ Chenaanah’s son Zedekiah made iron horns for himself and told them, “This is what the Lord says, ‘With these horns you are to gore the Arameans until they are eliminated!’”

¹² All the other prophets were saying similar things, like “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and you will be successful, because the Lord will hand it over to the king!”

Micaiah Predicts Failure^(B)

¹³ Meanwhile, the messenger who had gone off to summon Micaiah advised him, “Look, everything that the other prophets were saying was unanimously favorable to the king. So please, cooperate with them and speak favorably.”

¹⁴ “As the Lord lives,” Micaiah replied, “I’ll say what my God tells me to say.”

¹⁵ When Micaiah^[bs] approached the king, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I not?”

“Go to war,” Micaiah^[bt] replied, “and you will be successful, because the Lord will hand it over to the king!”

¹⁶ When he heard this, the king asked him, “How many times do I have to make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth? Now do it in the name of the Lord!”

¹⁷ So Micaiah replied:

¹⁸ Then the king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he wouldn’t prophesy anything good about me, but only evil?”

¹⁹ But Micaiah responded, “Therefore, listen to what the Lord has to say. I saw the Lord, sitting on his throne, and the entire Heavenly Army was standing around him on his right hand and on his left hand.

²⁰ “The Lord asked, ‘Who will tempt King Ahab of Israel to attack Ramoth-gilead, so that he will die there?’ And one was saying one thing and one was saying another.

²¹ “But then a spirit approached, stood in front of the Lord, and said, ‘I will entice him.’

²² “And the Lord asked him, ‘How?’

“‘I will go,’ he announced, ‘and I will be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all of his prophets!’

“So the Lord said, ‘You’re just the one to deceive him. You will be successful. Go and do it.’

²³ “Now therefore, listen! The Lord has placed a lying spirit in the mouth of all of these prophets of yours, because the Lord has determined to bring disaster upon you.”

²⁴ Right then, Chenaanah’s son Zedekiah approached Micaiah and struck him on the cheek. Then he asked him, “How did the Spirit of the Lord move from me to speak to you?”

²⁵ Micaiah replied, “You’ll see how when the day comes that you run away to hide yourself in a closet!”

²⁶ Then the king of Israel ordered, “Take Micaiah and place him in the custody of Amon, the city governor. Hand him over to Joash, the king’s son. ²⁷ Give him this order: ‘Place him in prison on survival rations of bread and water only until I come back safely.’”

²⁸ “If you return alive,” Micaiah responded, “then the Lord has not spoken by me.” Then he added, “Listen, all you people!”

Ahab Dies at Ramoth-gilead^(C)

²⁹ So the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah both attacked Ramoth-gilead. ³⁰ The king of Israel suggested to Jehoshaphat, “I’ll go into battle in disguise, but you keep your royal uniform on.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and they both went into the battle.

³¹ Meanwhile, the king of Aram had issued these orders to 32 of his chariot commanders: “Don’t attack unimportant soldiers or ranking officers. Go after only the king of Israel.”

³² So when the chariot commanders observed Jehoshaphat, they said by mistake,^[bu] “It’s the king of Israel!” and they turned aside to attack him. But Jehoshaphat cried out. ³³ When the chariot commanders saw that their target^[bv] was not the king of Israel, they stopped pursuing him.

³⁴ Meanwhile, somebody drew his bow aimlessly and struck the king of Israel between the scales where his armor breastplates joined, so he instructed his chariot driver, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, because I’ve been severely wounded.” ³⁵ The battle continued on for the rest of the day while the king of Israel was propped up in front of the Arameans until the sun set, at which time he died. The blood from Ahab’s wound ran down into the bottom of the chariot.

³⁶ As the day drew to a close, this order was circulated throughout the army telling the soldiers, “Everybody go back to his city and to his own land.” ³⁷ So the king died and was brought back to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria. ³⁸ They washed the chariot by the reservoir of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood near where the prostitutes went to bathe, in keeping with the message that the Lord had spoken.

³⁹ Now as to the rest of Ahab’s accomplishments, everything that he undertook, the ivory palace he built, and the cities that he built, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel, are they not? ⁴⁰ That’s how Ahab died, just as his ancestors had, and his son Ahaziah became king in his place.

Jehoshaphat Reigns over Judah

⁴¹ Asa’s son Jehoshaphat became king over Judah during the fourth year of the reign of^[bw] King Ahab of Israel. ⁴² Jehoshaphat was 35 years old when he became king. He reigned 25 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah. She was the daughter of Shilhi. ⁴³ He lived like his father Asa and never abandoned that life. He did what the Lord considered to be right. Nevertheless, the high places were not demolished, and the people continued to sacrifice and burn incense on the high places.^{[bx] 44} Jehoshaphat also made a peace treaty with the king of Israel.

⁴⁵ Now the rest of Jehoshaphat’s accomplishments, the power that he demonstrated, and how he waged war are written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah, are they not? ⁴⁶ He also eliminated the male cult prostitutes who still remained from the time of his father Asa.

⁴⁷ There was no king reigning in Edom; there was only a stand-in^[by] king. ⁴⁸ Jehoshaphat had ocean-going vessels from Tarshish sail to Ophir^[bz] for gold, but they never made it because they were shipwrecked at Ezion-geber. ⁴⁹ Ahab’s son Ahaziah had offered to go. “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships!” he said. But Jehoshaphat was not willing. ⁵⁰ Later, Jehoshaphat died, as did his ancestors, and he was buried alongside his ancestors in the City of David. Jehoram his son became king in his place.

Ahaziah Reigns over Israel

⁵¹ Ahab’s son Ahaziah became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of King Jehoshaphat of Judah. He reigned for two years over Israel. ⁵² He practiced what the Lord considered to be evil by living life like his father and mother did. He lived like Nebat’s son Jeroboam, who led Israel into sin. ⁵³ He served Baal, worshipped him, and provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger, in accordance with everything his father had done.

Elijah Rebukes King Ahaziah

1 Moab rebelled against Israel^[ca] after Ahab died. ² Meanwhile, Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice in his upper room in Samaria and lay injured. He sent messengers to Ekron with these orders: “Go and consult with Ekron’s god Baal-zebub to find out^[cb] if I’m going to recover from this injury.”^[cc]

³ But the angel of the Lord spoke to Elijah the foreigner,^[cd] “Get up and go meet the messengers from the king of Samaria. Ask them ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you’re going to consult with Ekron’s god Baal-zebub? ⁴ Now therefore this is what the Lord says: “You won’t be getting up from that bed of yours on which you’re lying. You will most certainly die!”’” So Elijah got up and^[ce] went.

⁵ The messengers returned to the king and he asked them, “What’s this? You’ve come back?”

⁶ They replied, “We met a man who told us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you and ask him, “Is it because there is no God in Israel that you’re going to consult with Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you won’t be getting up from that bed on which you’re lying. You will most certainly die!”’”

⁷ He told them, “Describe the man who met you and told you these things.”

⁸ They answered, “The man was a hairy fellow. He wore a leather sash around his waist.”

The king^[cf] responded, “It’s Elijah, that foreigner!”^[cg]

Fire from Heaven Destroys the King’s Henchmen

⁹ So the king sent out 50 men, along with their leader.^[ch] The leader^[ci] approached Elijah, who was sitting at the top of a hill. He ordered Elijah,^[cj] “Hey, man of God! The king orders you to come down!”

¹⁰ Elijah responded to the leader who was in charge of the 50 soldiers, “So I’m a man of God, am I? If so, may fire^[ck] fall from heaven and devour you and your 50 soldiers…”^[cl] Just then, fire fell from heaven and devoured that leader and his 50 soldiers.^[cm]

¹¹ Later the king tried again—he sent another company of 50 soldiers, along with their leader, who ordered Elijah, “Hey, man of God! This is what the king orders: ‘Come down!’”

¹² Elijah responded to the leader and to his entire company,^[cn] “So I’m a man of God, am I? If so, may fire^[co] fall from heaven and devour you and your 50 soldiers…”^[cp] Just then, fire fell from heaven and devoured him and his 50 soldiers.^[cq]

¹³ Then the king tried yet again! The king sent a third company of 50 soldiers along with their leader. The third leader went up the hill,^[cr] approached Elijah,^[cs] fell on his knees in front of him, and begged him,^[ct] “Hey, man of God, please treat^[cu] my life and the lives of these servants of yours as precious! ¹⁴ Look how fire fell from heaven and devoured the two other companies of 50 soldiers, along with their captains, but now please treat me as if my life were precious!”

¹⁵ The angel of the Lord told Elijah, “Go down the hill with that man. Don’t be afraid of him!” So Elijah^[cv] got up and went down with him to meet the king.

¹⁶ Then Elijah spoke to the king, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Since you sent messengers to consult with Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel with whom to consult regarding his word?—therefore you’re not getting up from the bed on which you’re lying. You certainly will die!’” ¹⁷ And die he did, just as the Lord had said and just as Elijah had spoken!

After this, Jehoram ascended to the throne during the second year of the reign of Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram from Judah. He took the place of Ahaziah, who had no son. ¹⁸ The rest of Ahaziah’s activities are recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel,^[cw] are they not?

Elijah is Taken to Heaven

2 As the time drew near when the Lord was about to take Elijah to heaven in a wind storm, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. ² Elijah instructed Elisha, “Remain here on this side, please, because the Lord is sending me as far as Bethel.”

But Elisha replied, “As the Lord lives, I’m not going to leave you while you’re still alive!” So they both went on to Bethel.

³ When the Guild of Prophets^[cx] who lived in Bethel came out to greet Elisha, they asked him, “You are aware, aren’t you, that later today the Lord is going to remove your master from being your mentor?”^[cy]

“Of course I’m aware of it,” he said. “Calm down.”

⁴ Elijah also spoke to him, “Elisha, remain here on this side, please, because the Lord is sending me to Jericho.”

But Elisha responded, “As the Lord lives, and while you’re still alive, I’m not going to leave you!” So they went to Jericho.

⁵ The Guild of Prophets who lived in Jericho approached Elisha and asked him, “You are aware, aren’t you, that later today the Lord is going to remove your master from being your mentor?”^[cz]

“Of course I’m aware of it,” he said. “Calm down.”

⁶ Elijah also spoke to him, “Elisha, remain here on this side, please, because the Lord is sending me to the Jordan River.”^[da]

But Elisha responded, “As the Lord lives, and while you’re still alive, I’m not going to leave you!” So they went on their way,^{[db] 7} accompanied by 50 men from the Guild of Prophets, who stood at a short distance from them while they were both standing by the Jordan. ⁸ Elijah took off his ornamented cloak, wrapped it up in a roll, struck the water, and all of a sudden the water divided into two parts! One side of the river stood still opposite the other until the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

⁹ When they had crossed the Jordan River,^[dc] Elijah invited Elisha, “Ask me what you want me to do for you before I’m taken away from you.”

So Elisha asked, “Please, may there be a double portion of^[dd] your spirit upon me!”

¹⁰ “That’s a hard thing to ask for,” Elijah answered, “but if you see me while I’m being taken from you, it will happen for you. But if you don’t see me, it won’t happen.”

¹¹ As they continued on, talking as they went, suddenly chariots blazing with fire and pulled by fiery horses appeared, separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a wind storm to heaven! ¹² As Elisha continued to watch, he cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots of Israel and its cavalry!”^[de] Then he did not see Elijah anymore.

After this, Elisha^[df] gripped his clothes that he was wearing, tore them apart into two pieces, ¹³ picked up Elijah’s ornamented cloak that had fallen from him, and went back to stand on the bank of the Jordan River.^{[dg] 14} Elisha^[dh] took hold of Elijah’s ornamental cloak that had been left behind,^[di] struck the water, and cried out: “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” All of a sudden, after he had struck the water, the water divided into two parts! One side of the river stood opposite the other, and Elisha crossed over.

Elisha is Recognized as Elijah’s Successor

¹⁵ As soon as the Guild of Prophets who lived adjacent to Jericho saw Elisha,^[dj] they began to announce, “The spirit^[dk] of Elijah is at rest on Elisha!” So they came out to meet him and they greeted him by bowing low to the ground in front of him.

¹⁶ Then they asked Elisha,^[dl] “Look! We have 50 valiant men here with your servant! Please let them go out and search for your master Elijah.^[dm] Perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up on a mountain or into a valley.”

Elisha responded, “Don’t bother searching.”

¹⁷ But they persisted until he was frustrated, so he said, “Send them out!” So they sent out the 50 men, and they looked around for three days but did not find Elijah.^{[dn] 18} By the time they returned, Elisha^[do] was living in Jericho. Then Elisha asked them, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?”

Elisha Cures the Waters of Jericho

¹⁹ The men who lived in the city addressed Elisha. “Look now,” they said, “our^[dp] city’s location is good, as you^[dq] have been observing, but the water springs^[dr] here are bad and the land isn’t sustaining crops.”

²⁰ Elisha ordered them, “Bring me a new bowl and put some salt in it.” So they brought him what he had requested.^[ds]

²¹ Elisha went out to the springs, threw the salt into them, and declared, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have purified these waters. Neither death nor barrenness is to flow from them anymore.’” ²² As a result, the water springs^[dt] remain pure to this day, just as^[du] Elisha had declared.

Elisha Rebukes Some Mockers

²³ Later, Elisha^[dv] left there to go up to Bethel, and as he was traveling along the road, some insignificant^[dw] young men came from the city and started mocking him. They told him, “Get on up,^[dx] baldy! Get on up, baldy!” ²⁴ He looked behind him, took note of the young men, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. Suddenly two female bears emerged from the woods and mauled 42 of the young men. ²⁵ After this, he left from there to go to Mt. Carmel, and from there he went back to Samaria.

Jehoram Becomes King

3 Ahab’s son Jehoram ascended to the throne of Israel at Samaria during the eighteenth year of the reign of Judah’s King Jehoshaphat. He reigned for twelve years, ² practicing evil in the Lord’s presence,^[dy] only not to the extent that his mother and father had done^[dz]—he forced abolition of the sacred pillar to Baal^[ea] that his father had crafted. ³ Even so,^[eb] he kept on committing the sins that Nebat’s son Jeroboam had done, which ensnared Israel in sin—he never abandoned them.

Moab Rebels against Israel

⁴ Meanwhile, Moab’s King Mesha was a sheep breeder. He used to pay 100,000 lambs and the wool from 100,000 rams to the king of Israel as tribute. ⁵ After Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. ⁶ So King Jehoram left Samaria at that time^[ec] and mustered the entire army of^[ed] Israel. ⁷ As he was going out, he sent this message^[ee] to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight Moab?”

“I’m coming,” Jehoshaphat^[ef] replied. “I’m like you! My army will act like your army and my cavalry like your cavalry,” Then Jehoshaphat^[eg] added: ⁸ “What road do we take?”

Jehoram^[eh] answered, “We’ll go along the Edom desert road.”

⁹ So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom made a complete circuit on the road for seven days, but there was no water for the army or for the livestock that accompanied^[ei] them.

¹⁰ Then the king of Israel remarked, “Oh no! The Lord has summoned us three kings so he can hand us over to Moab, hasn’t he?”

The Kings Seek Elisha’s Counsel

¹¹ Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there a prophet who belongs to the Lord and through whom we can ask the Lord a question?”

One of the king of Israel’s attendants replied, “Shaphat’s son Elisha lives here. He used to be Elijah’s personal attendant.”^[ej]

¹² Jehoshaphat answered, “He receives messages from^[ek] the Lord.” So the king of Israel, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom went to visit Elisha.^[el]

¹³ Elisha asked the king of Israel, “What do I have in common^[em] with you? Go visit your parents’ prophets.”^[en]

The king of Israel replied, “No! The Lord has summoned these three kings so he can hand them over to Moab!”

¹⁴ But Elisha responded, “As the Lord of the Heavenly Armies lives, in whose presence I stand, I would never pay attention to you or even look in your direction were it not for my continuous respect for the presence of King Jehoshaphat of Judah. ¹⁵ Now bring me a musician.”

As the musician played, the hand of the Lord rested on Elisha, ¹⁶ so he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Fill this valley with trench after trench!’ ¹⁷ This is what the Lord says: ‘Though you won’t see wind or storm, nevertheless that river^[eo] will overflow with water so that you, your cattle, and your livestock may drink.’ ¹⁸ And this is the easy part for the Lord^[ep]—he’s also going to hand the Moabites over to you! ¹⁹ Then you are to attack every fortified city and every significant city. Cut down every significant tree, fill in all of the water springs, and ruin every prime piece of land with stones.”

War with Moab

²⁰ The very next day, about the time of the morning offering, water suddenly appeared, coming from the direction of Edom, and the land overflowed with water! ²¹ Meanwhile, all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to attack them, so everyone old enough to wear battle armor was mustered to stand guard at the border. ²² As the Moabites arose early that morning, the sun cast its rays on the water, and to the Moabites, the water across from them appeared to be red like blood. ²³ So they concluded,^[eq] “This must be blood! The kings must have had one mighty big fight and each man killed the other! So let’s go get the battle spoil, Moab!”

²⁴ But when the Moabites arrived at the Israeli encampment, the Israelis got up and attacked them. The Moabites ran away from the Israelis,^[er] who followed them into the land as they continued their pursuit against Moab. ²⁵ They destroyed their cities, and all of them threw stones onto every piece of farm^[es] land, ruining the fields.^[et] Then they filled in all the water wells^[eu] and chopped down all of the useful^[ev] trees. Stone walls remained surrounding Kir-hareseth only, until the archers surrounded and attacked that city. ²⁶ When the king of Moab realized that the battle was going strongly against him, he took 700 expert swordsmen to attempt to break through to the king of Edom, but was unable to do so. ²⁷ So he took his firstborn son, whom he intended to reign after him, and offered him up as a burnt offering on the wall. There subsequently came great anger against Israel, so they abandoned the attack and returned to their homeland.

The Miracle of the Oil Vessels^(D)

4 Now there happened to be a certain woman who had been the wife of a member of the Guild of Prophets. She cried out to Elisha, “My husband who served you has died, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. But a creditor has come to take away my children into indentured servitude!”

² Elisha responded, “What shall I do for you? Tell me what you have in your house.”

She replied, “Your servant has nothing in the entire house except for a flask of oil.”

³ He told her, “Go out to all of your neighbors in the surrounding streets and borrow lots of pots from them. Don’t get just a few empty vessels, either. ⁴ Then go in and shut the door behind you, taking only your children, and pour oil^[ew] into all of the pots. As each one is filled, set it aside.”

⁵ So she left Elisha,^[ex] shut the door behind her and her children, and while they kept on bringing vessels to her, she kept on pouring oil.^{[ey] 6} When the last of^[ez] the vessels had been filled, she told her son, “Bring me another pot!”

But he replied, “There isn’t even one pot left.” Then the oil stopped flowing. ⁷ After this, she went and told the man of God what had happened.^[fa] So he said, “Go sell the oil, pay your debt, and you and your children will be able to live on the proceeds.”

The Hospitality of a Woman from Shunem

⁸ Some time later, Elisha went to Shunem,^[fb] where he met a prominent and wealthy^[fc] woman who persuaded him to have a meal with her. As a result, whenever he was in the area, he stopped by to eat with her. ⁹ So she had a talk with her husband. “Look here! I’ve learned that this is a holy and godly man^[fd] who comes by here on a regular basis. ¹⁰ Now then, let’s build a small upper room and put a bed in it for him there, along with a table, a chair, and a lamp stand. That way, when he comes to visit, he can rest^[fe] there.”

¹¹ One day, Elisha^[ff] came by to visit and stopped in to rest in the upper chamber. ¹² He told his attendant^[fg] Gehazi, “Call this Shunammite.” So when he had summoned her, she stood in front of him.

¹³ Elisha^[fh] told him, “Ask her, ‘Look how you’ve gone to all this trouble to care for us! What can I do for you? Do you wish to be mentioned to the king or to the head of the army?’”

She replied, “I’m at home^[fi] living among my own people.”

¹⁴ He responded, “What, then, is to be done on her behalf?”

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

¹⁵ “Call her,” Elisha^[fj] ordered. After he called her, she came and stood in the doorway, ¹⁶ and he told her, “About this time next year you will be embracing a son.”

“No, sir! Please, as a godly man,^[fk] don’t mislead your servant!” ¹⁷ But the woman did conceive and did bear a son at that very same time the next year, just as Elisha had told her.

Elisha Raises the Shunammite’s Son^(E)

¹⁸ After the child had grown up a bit, one day he went out to visit his father, who was with the harvesters. ¹⁹ He told his father, “My head! My head!”

So his father ordered his servant, “Carry him over to his mother!” ²⁰ So the servant carried him over to his mother, where he rested on her lap until mid-day,^[fl] and then he died. ²¹ The woman went upstairs, laid him on the bed belonging to the man of God, and shut the door, leaving him behind as she left.

²² Then she called to her husband and asked him, “Please send me one of the servants, along with one of the donkeys, so I can ride quickly to see that godly man.^[fm] I’ll be right back.”

²³ He asked her, “What’s the point of visiting him today? It’s not a New Moon, and it isn’t the Sabbath!”

But she kept saying, “Things will go well.”^[fn]

²⁴ So she saddled a donkey and told her servant, “Forward, driver! Don’t slow down on my account, unless I tell you!” ²⁵ So out she went and eventually she arrived at Mount Carmel to visit the man of God.

When the man of God noticed her from a distance, he told his attendant Gehazi, “Look! There’s the woman from Shunem! ²⁶ Please run out quickly and greet her. Ask her, ‘Are things going well with you? Are things going well with your husband? Are things going well with your child?’”

She answered Gehazi,^[fo] “Things are going well.”

²⁷ As she came near the man of God on the mountain, she grabbed his feet. When Gehazi intervened to push her away, the man of God said, “Leave her alone! She is deeply troubled! The Lord has concealed the thing from me, and hasn’t informed me.”

²⁸ Then she asked, “Did I ask my lord for a son? Didn’t I beg you, ‘Don’t mislead me?’”

²⁹ At this he told Gehazi, “Get ready to run!^[fp] Take my staff in your hand, and get on the road. Don’t greet anyone you meet. If anyone greets you, don’t respond. Just go lay my staff on the youngster’s face.”

³⁰ At this, the youngster’s mother replied, “As long as you and the Lord live, I’m not leaving you!” So he got up and followed her.

³¹ Meanwhile, Gehazi went on ahead of them and placed the staff on the youngster’s face, but when there was no sound or reaction, he returned, met Elisha,^[fq] and told him, “The youngster has shown no sign of awakening.”

³² When Elisha entered the house, there was the youngster, dead and laid out on Elisha’s^[fr] bed! ³³ So he entered, shut the door behind them both, and prayed to the Lord. ³⁴ Then he approached the child and lay down with his mouth near the child’s, with his eyes near those of the child, and taking the child’s hands in his. As Elisha^[fs] stretched himself on the child, the child’s flesh began to grow warm. ³⁵ Then he went downstairs, walked around back and forth inside the house once, went back up to his upper chamber,^[ft] and stretched himself over the child again. The young man sneezed seven times and then opened his eyes.

³⁶ He called out to Gehazi, “Go get the Shunammite woman!” So he called her. When she came in to see Elisha,^[fu] he told her, “Take back your son!” ³⁷ Then she approached him, fell at his feet, bowing low to the ground, took back her son, and went out.