The Daily Audio Bible

The War between Moab and Israel

3 Ahab’s son Jehoram became the king of Israel at Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. He ruled for twelve years. ² Jehoram did what was bad in the eyes of the Lord, but not like his father and mother. For he put away the object of Baal which his father had made. ³ But he held on to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel sin. He did not leave them.

⁴ Now Mesha king of Moab raised sheep. He had to pay the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams each year. ⁵ But when Ahab died, the king of Moab turned against the king of Israel. ⁶ So King Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time and called all Israel together. ⁷ Then he went and sent word to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has turned against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” And Jehoshaphat said, “I will go. I am as you are. My people are as your people. My horses are as your horses.” ⁸ Then he said, “Which way should we go?” And he answered, “By the way of the desert of Edom.” ⁹ So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. They traveled around for seven days, but there was no water for the army or the cattle that followed them. ¹⁰ The king of Israel said, “It is bad! For the Lord has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.” ¹¹ But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not a man who speaks for God here? Is there no one we can ask to learn what the Lord would have us do?” One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha the son of Shaphat is here. He poured water on the hands of Elijah.” ¹² And Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.

¹³ Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you? Go to the men who tell what will happen in the future that your father and mother have gone to.” And the king of Israel said to him, “No. It is the Lord Who has called these three kings together to give them into the hand of Moab.” ¹⁴ Elisha said, “As the Lord of all lives, before Whom I stand, if I did not care for Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look at you or see you. ¹⁵ But now bring me a man who plays music.” And when the man played music, the power of the Lord came upon Elisha. ¹⁶ He said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Make this valley full of ditches.’ ¹⁷ For the Lord says, ‘You will not see wind or rain. But that valley will be filled with water so that you and your cattle and your animals will drink.’ ¹⁸ This is only a small thing in the eyes of the Lord. He will give you the Moabites also. ¹⁹ Then you will destroy every strong city and cut down every good tree. You will close all the wells of water, and destroy every good piece of land with stones.” ²⁰ The next morning, about the time when the gift is given on the altar, water came by the way of Edom. The country was filled with water. ²¹ Now all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them. All who were able to wear battle-clothes, young and old, were called together. And they stood at the side of the land of Moab. ²² They got up early in the morning. The sun was shining on the water. And the Moabites saw that the water beside them was as red as blood. ²³ They said, “This is blood. For sure the kings have fought and killed one another. So now, Moab, let us take what is left!” ²⁴ But when they came to the tents of Israel, the Israelites came and fought against the Moabites. The Moabites ran from them. And Israel went on into the land, killing the Moabites. ²⁵ So they destroyed the cities. Each man threw a stone on every piece of good land until it was covered. They closed all the wells of water and cut down all the good trees. Only the stones of Kir-hareseth were left standing. But the stone-throwers went around it and fought against it. ²⁶ The king of Moab saw that the battle was too hard for him. So he took with him 700 men who used the sword, to break through to the king of Edom. But they could not. ²⁷ Then he took his oldest son who was to rule in his place, and gave him as a burnt gift on the wall. And many became very angry toward Israel. They left him and returned to their own land.

Elisha and the Jar of Oil

4 Now the wife of the son of one of the men who tell what will happen in the future cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, is dead. You know that your servant honored the Lord with fear. But the man to whom he owed money has come to take my two children to make them serve him.” ² Elisha said to her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your woman servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” ³ Then he said, “Go around and get jars from all your neighbors. Get empty jars, many of them. ⁴ Then go in and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour the oil into all these jars, and set aside each one that is full.” ⁵ So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They took the jars to her, and she poured. ⁶ When the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another jar.” And he said to her, “There is not one jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing. ⁷ She came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go and sell the oil and pay what you owe. You and your sons can live on the rest.”

Elisha and the Shunammite’s Son

⁸ One day Elisha went to Shunem. An important woman was there, who talked him into eating some food. So every time he passed by, he would turn in there to eat food. ⁹ She said to her husband, “Now I see that this is a holy man of God who is always passing by. ¹⁰ Let us make a little room on the second floor. And let us put a bed there for him, and a table and a chair and a lamp. Then when he comes to us, he can go in there.”

¹¹ One day Elisha came there and went into the room on the second floor, and rested. ¹² He said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite.” When he had called her, she came and stood in front of him. ¹³ Elisha said to Gehazi, “Now tell her, ‘See, you have done much for us. What can I do for you? Should I speak to the king or to the captain of the army for you?’” And she answered, “I live among my own people.” ¹⁴ So Elisha said, “What then is to be done for her?” Gehazi answered, “She has no son, and her husband is old.” ¹⁵ Elisha said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood at the door. ¹⁶ Then he said, “At this time next year you will hold a son in your arms.” And she said, “No, my lord, O man of God. Do not lie to your woman servant.” ¹⁷ Later she was going to have a child and she gave birth to a son at that time the next year, as Elisha had told her.

⁸ There was a man in Lystra who had never walked from the time he was born. ⁹ This man listened as Paul spoke. Paul watched him. He saw that the man believed he could be healed. ¹⁰ Calling to him with a loud voice, Paul said, “Stand up on your feet!” The man jumped up and walked around.

Paul and Barnabas Are Called Gods, Then Stoned

¹¹ The people saw what Paul did. They called with loud voices in the language of the people of Lycaonia, “The gods have become like men and have come down to us.” ¹² They said that Barnabas was Jupiter. Paul was called Mercury because he spoke more than Barnabas. ¹³ The god of Jupiter was in a building near the gate leading into the city. The religious leader of that place brought cattle and flowers to the gate. He and many other people wanted to burn these as gifts in an act of worship to Paul and Barnabas.

¹⁴ When Paul and Barnabas heard this, they ran among the people. They tore their clothes and cried out, ¹⁵ “Why are you doing this? We are only men with feelings like yours. We preach the Good News that you should turn from these empty things to the living God. He made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. ¹⁶ Long ago He allowed all people to live the way they wanted to. ¹⁷ Even then God did not leave you without something to see of Him. He did good. He gave you rain from heaven and much food. He made you happy.” ¹⁸ Even with these words it was hard for Paul and Barnabas to keep the people from burning cattle in an act of worship to them.

¹⁹ By this time some Jews from the cities of Antioch and Iconium came. They turned the minds of the people against Paul and Barnabas and told them to throw stones at Paul. After they threw stones at him, they dragged him out of the city thinking he was dead.

Paul and Barnabas Preach to the Christians on Their Return Trip to Antioch

²⁰ As the Christians gathered around Paul, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he went with Barnabas to Derbe. ²¹ In that city they preached the Good News and taught many people. Then they returned to the cities of Lystra and Iconium and Antioch. ²² In each city they helped the Christians to be strong and true to the faith. They told them, “We must suffer many hard things to get into the holy nation of God.”

²³ In every church they chose leaders for them. They went without food during that time so they could pray better. Paul and Barnabas prayed for the leaders, giving them over to the Lord in Whom they believed.

²⁴ When they had gone through the city of Pisidia, they came to the city of Pamphylia. ²⁵ Then they preached the Good News in the city of Perga. After this they went down to the city of Attalia. ²⁶ From there they went by ship to Antioch where they had been given to the Lord for His work. The work of this trip was done.

²⁷ When they got there, they called the church together. They told them everything God had done for them. They told how God had opened the door for the people who were not Jews to have faith. ²⁸ They stayed there with the followers a long time.

A Prayer for Help

140 O Lord, take me away from sinful men. Keep me safe from men who want to hurt others. ² They make sinful plans in their hearts. They always start wars. ³ They make their tongues sharp like a snake’s. And the poison of a snake is under their lips.

⁴ O Lord, keep me from the hands of the sinful. Keep me safe from men who want to hurt others and have planned to trip my feet. ⁵ The proud have hidden a trap for me. With ropes they have spread a net. They have set traps for me beside the road. ⁶ I said to the Lord, “You are my God. Listen to the voice of my prayers, O Lord. ⁷ O God the Lord, the strength that saves me, You have covered my head in the day of battle. ⁸ O Lord, do not give the sinful what they want. Do not let their plans work, or they will be honored.

⁹ “As for those who gather around me, may the wrong-doing of their lips come upon their heads. ¹⁰ May burning coals fall upon them. May they be thrown into the fire, into deep holes, and rise no more. ¹¹ Do not let the man whose talking hurts people stand in the land. May trouble hurry to catch and destroy the man who wants to hurt others.”

¹² I know that the Lord will stand by those who suffer and do what is right for the poor. ¹³ For sure those who are right and good will give thanks to Your name. Those who are right will live with You.

²² A glad heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.