Month: June 2019

The Woman from Shunem Is Given Back Her Land

8 Elisha told the woman whose son he had brought back to life,^[a] “The Lord has warned that there will be no food here for seven years. Take your family and go live somewhere else for a while.” ² The woman did exactly what Elisha had said and went to live in Philistine territory.

She and her family lived there seven years. ³ Then she returned to Israel and immediately begged the king to give back her house and property.

⁴ Meanwhile, the king was asking Gehazi the servant of Elisha about the amazing things Elisha had been doing. ⁵ While Gehazi was telling him that Elisha had brought a dead boy back to life, the woman and her son arrived.

“Here’s the boy, Your Majesty,” Gehazi said. “And this is his mother.”

⁶ The king asked the woman to tell her story, and she told him everything that had happened. He then said to one of his officials, “I want you to make sure that this woman gets back everything that belonged to her, including the money her crops have made since the day she left Israel.”

Hazael Kills Benhadad

⁷ Some time later Elisha went to the capital city of Damascus to visit King Benhadad of Syria, who was sick. And when Benhadad was told he was there, ⁸ he said to Hazael,^[b] “Go meet with Elisha the man of God and have him ask the Lord if I will get well. And take along a gift for him.”

⁹ Hazael left with forty camel loads of the best things made in Damascus as a gift for Elisha. He found the prophet and said, “Your servant, King Benhadad, wants to know if he will get well.”

¹⁰ “Tell him he will,” Elisha said to Hazael. “But the Lord has already told me that Benhadad will definitely die.” ¹¹ Elisha stared at him until Hazael was embarrassed, then Elisha began crying.^[c]

¹² “Sir, why are you crying?” Hazael asked.

Elisha answered, “Because I know the terrible things you will do to the people of Israel. You will burn down their walled cities and slaughter their young men. You will even crush the heads of their babies and rip open their pregnant women.”

¹³ “How could I ever do anything like that?” Hazael replied. “I’m only a servant and don’t have that kind of power.”

“Hazael, the Lord has told me that you will be the next king of Syria.”

¹⁴ Hazael went back to Benhadad and told him, “Elisha said that you will get well.” ¹⁵ But the very next day, Hazael got a thick blanket; he soaked it in water and held it over Benhadad’s face until he died. Hazael then became king.

King Jehoram of Judah

¹⁶ Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat became king of Judah in Joram’s fifth year as king of Israel, while Jehoshaphat was still king of Judah.^{[d] 17} Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he ruled eight years from Jerusalem.

¹⁸ Jehoram disobeyed the Lord by doing wrong. He married Ahab’s daughter and was as sinful as Ahab’s family and the kings of Israel. ¹⁹ But the Lord refused to destroy Judah, because he had promised his servant David that someone from his family would always rule in Judah.

²⁰ While Jehoram was king, the people of Edom rebelled and chose their own king. ²¹ So Jehoram^[e] and his cavalry marched to Zair, where the Edomite army surrounded him and his commanders. During the night he attacked the Edomites, but he was defeated, and his troops escaped to their homes.^{[f] 22} Judah was never able to regain control of Edom. Even the town of Libnah^[g] rebelled at that time.

²³ Everything else Jehoram did while he was king is written in The History of the Kings of Judah. ²⁴ Jehoram died and was buried beside his ancestors in Jerusalem.^[h] His son Ahaziah then became king.

King Ahaziah of Judah

²⁵ Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah in the twelfth year of Joram’s rule in Israel. ²⁶ Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he ruled from Jerusalem for only one year. His mother was Athaliah, a granddaughter of King Omri of Israel. ²⁷ Since Ahaziah was related to Ahab’s family,^[i] he acted just like them and disobeyed the Lord by doing wrong.

²⁸ Ahaziah went with King Joram of Israel to attack King Hazael and the Syrian troops at Ramoth in Gilead. Joram was wounded in that battle, ²⁹ so he went to the town of Jezreel to recover. Ahaziah went there to visit him.

Jehu Becomes King of Israel

9 One day, Elisha called for one of the other prophets and said:

⁴ The young prophet left for Ramoth. ⁵ When he arrived, the army officers were meeting together. “Sir, I have a message for you,” he said.

“For which one of us?” Jehu asked.

“You, sir,” the prophet answered. ⁶ So Jehu got up and went inside.^[j] The prophet poured olive oil on Jehu’s head and told him:

Then the young prophet opened the door and ran out.

¹¹ Jehu went back to his officers, and one of them asked, “What did that crazy prophet want? Is everything all right?”

“You know him and how he talks,” Jehu answered.

¹² “No, we don’t. What did he say?” they asked.

“He had a message from the Lord,” Jehu replied. “He said that the Lord has chosen me to be the next king of Israel.”

¹³ They quickly grabbed their coats and spread them out on the steps where Jehu was standing. Someone blew a trumpet, and everyone shouted, “Jehu is king!”

Paul and Silas Are Put in Jail

¹⁶ One day on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl. She had a spirit in her that gave her the power to tell the future. By doing this she made a lot of money for her owners. ¹⁷ The girl followed Paul and the rest of us and kept yelling, “These men are servants of the Most High God! They are telling you how to be saved.”

¹⁸ This went on for several days. Finally, Paul got so upset that he turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I order you to leave this girl alone!” At once the evil spirit left her.

¹⁹ When the girl’s owners realized that they had lost all chances for making more money, they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them into court. ²⁰ They told the officials, “These Jews are upsetting our city! ²¹ They are telling us to do things we Romans are not allowed to do.”

²² The crowd joined in the attack on Paul and Silas. Then the officials tore the clothes off the two men and ordered them to be beaten with a whip. ²³ After they had been badly beaten, they were put in jail, and the jailer was told to guard them carefully. ²⁴ The jailer did as he was told. He put them deep inside the jail and chained their feet to heavy blocks of wood.

²⁵ About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God, while the other prisoners listened. ²⁶ Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the jail to its foundations. The doors opened, and the chains fell from all the prisoners.

²⁷ When the jailer woke up and saw that the doors were open, he thought that the prisoners had escaped. He pulled out his sword and was about to kill himself. ²⁸ But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! No one has escaped.”

²⁹ The jailer asked for a torch and went into the jail. He was shaking all over as he knelt down in front of Paul and Silas. ³⁰ After he had led them out of the jail, he asked, “What must I do to be saved?”

³¹ They replied, “Have faith in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved! This is also true for everyone who lives in your home.”

³² Then Paul and Silas told him and everyone else in his house about the Lord. ³³ While it was still night, the jailer took them to a place where he could wash their cuts and bruises. Then he and everyone in his home were baptized. ³⁴ They were very glad that they had put their faith in God. After this, the jailer took Paul and Silas to his home and gave them something to eat.

³⁵ The next morning the officials sent some police with orders for the jailer to let Paul and Silas go. ³⁶ The jailer told Paul, “The officials have ordered me to set you free. Now you can leave in peace.”

³⁷ But Paul told the police, “We are Roman citizens,^[a] and the Roman officials had us beaten in public without giving us a trial. They threw us into jail. Now do they think they can secretly send us away? No, they cannot! They will have to come here themselves and let us out.”

³⁸ When the police told the officials that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, the officials were afraid. ³⁹ So they came and apologized. They led them out of the jail and asked them to please leave town. ⁴⁰ But Paul and Silas went straight to the home of Lydia, where they saw the Lord’s followers and encouraged them. Then they left.

(A psalm by David.)

A Prayer in Time of Danger

Elisha Makes an Ax Head Float

6 One day the prophets said to Elisha, “The place where we meet with you is too small. ² Why don’t we build a new meeting place near the Jordan River? Each of us could get some wood, then we could build it.”

“That’s a good idea,” Elisha replied,”get started.”

³ “Aren’t you going with us?” one of the prophets asked.

“Yes, I’ll go,” Elisha answered, ⁴ and he left with them.

They went to the Jordan River and began chopping down trees. ⁵ While one of the prophets was working, his ax head fell off and dropped into the water. “Oh!” he shouted. “Sir, I borrowed this ax.”

⁶ “Where did it fall in?” Elisha asked. The prophet pointed to the place, and Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water at that spot. The ax head floated to the top of the water.

⁷ “Now get it,” Elisha told him. And the prophet reached in and grabbed it.

Elisha Stops an Invasion of the Syrian Army

⁸ Time after time, when the king of Syria was at war against the Israelites, he met with his officers and announced, “I’ve decided where we will set up camp.”

⁹ Each time, Elisha^[a] would send this warning to the king of Israel: “Don’t go near there. That’s where the Syrian troops have set up camp.”^{[b] 10} So the king would warn the Israelite troops in that place to be on guard.

¹¹ The king of Syria was furious when he found out what was happening. He called in his officers and asked, “Which one of you has been telling the king of Israel our plans?”

¹² “None of us, Your Majesty,” one of them answered. “It’s an Israelite named Elisha. He’s a prophet, so he can tell his king everything—even what you say in your own room.”

¹³ “Find out where he is!” the king ordered. “I’ll send soldiers to bring him here.”

They learned that Elisha was in the town of Dothan^[c] and reported it to the king. ¹⁴ He ordered his best troops to go there with horses and chariots. They marched out during the night and surrounded the town.

¹⁵ When Elisha’s servant got up the next morning, he saw that Syrian troops had the town surrounded. “Sir, what are we going to do?” he asked.

¹⁶ “Don’t be afraid,” Elisha answered. “There are more troops on our side than on theirs.” ¹⁷ Then he prayed, “Lord, please help him to see.” And the Lord let the servant see that the hill^[d] was covered with fiery horses and flaming chariots all around Elisha.

¹⁸ As the Syrian army came closer, Elisha prayed, “Lord, make those soldiers blind!” And the Lord blinded them with a bright light.

¹⁹ Elisha told the enemy troops, “You’ve taken the wrong road and are in the wrong town. Follow me. I’ll lead you to the man you’re looking for.” Elisha led them straight to the capital city of Samaria.

²⁰ When all the soldiers were inside the city, Elisha prayed, “Lord, now let them see again.” The Lord let them see that they were standing in the middle of Samaria.

²¹ The king of Israel saw them and asked Elisha, “Should I kill them, sir?”

²² “No!” Elisha answered. “You didn’t capture these troops in battle, so you have no right to kill them. Instead, give them something to eat and drink and let them return to their leader.”

²³ The king ordered a huge meal to be prepared for Syria’s army, and when they finished eating, he let them go.

For a while, the Syrian troops stopped invading Israel’s territory.

King Benhadad of Syria Attacks Samaria

²⁴ Some time later, King Benhadad of Syria^[e] called his entire army together, then they marched to Samaria and attacked. ²⁵ They kept up the attack until there was nothing to eat in the city. In fact, a donkey’s head cost about two pounds of silver, and a small bowl of pigeon droppings^[f] cost about two ounces of silver.

²⁶ One day as the king of Israel^[g] was walking along the top of the city wall, a woman shouted to him, “Please, Your Majesty, help me!”

²⁷ “Let the Lord help you!” the king said. “Do you think I have grain or wine to give you?” ²⁸ Then he asked, “What’s the matter anyway?”

The woman answered, “Another woman and I were so hungry that we agreed to eat our sons. She said if we ate my son one day, we could eat hers the next day. ²⁹ So yesterday we cooked my son and ate him. But today when I went to her house to eat her son, she had hidden him.”

³⁰ The king tore off his clothes in sorrow, and since he was on top of the city wall, the people saw that he was wearing sackcloth underneath. ³¹ He said, “I pray that God will punish me terribly, if Elisha’s head is still on his shoulders by this time tomorrow.” ³² Then he sent a messenger to Elisha.

Elisha was home at the time, and the important leaders of Israel were meeting with him. Even before the king’s messenger arrived, Elisha told the leaders, “That murderer^[h] is sending someone to cut off my head. When you see him coming, shut the door and don’t let him in. I’m sure the king himself will be right behind him.”

³³ Before Elisha finished talking, the messenger^[i] came up and said, “The Lord has made all these terrible things happen to us. Why should I think he will help us now?”

7 Elisha answered, “I have a message for you. The Lord promises that tomorrow here in Samaria, you will be able to buy a large sack of flour or two large sacks of barley for almost nothing.”

² The chief officer there with the king replied, “I don’t believe it! Even if the Lord sent a rainstorm, it couldn’t produce that much grain by tomorrow.”

“You will see it happen, but you won’t eat any of the food,” Elisha warned him.

The Syrian Army Stops Its Attack

³ About the same time, four men with leprosy^[j] were just outside the gate of Samaria. They said to each other, “Why should we sit here, waiting to die? ⁴ There’s nothing to eat in the city, so we would starve if we went inside. But if we stay out here, we will die for sure. Let’s sneak over to the Syrian army camp and surrender. They might kill us, but they might not.” ^5-8 That evening the four men got up and left for the Syrian camp.

As they walked toward the camp, the Lord caused the Syrian troops to hear what sounded like the roar of a huge cavalry. The soldiers said to each other, “Listen! The king of Israel must have hired Hittite and Egyptian troops to attack us. Let’s get out of here!” So they ran out of their camp that night, leaving their tents and horses and donkeys.

When the four men with leprosy reached the edge of the Syrian camp, no one was there. They walked into one of the tents, where they ate and drank, before carrying off clothes, as well as silver and gold. They hid all this, then walked into another tent; they took what they wanted and hid it too.

⁹ They said to each other, “This isn’t right. Today is a day to celebrate, and we haven’t told anyone else what has happened. If we wait until morning, we will be punished. Let’s go to the king’s palace right now and tell the good news.”

¹⁰ They went back to Samaria and shouted up to the guards at the gate, “We’ve just come from the Syrian army camp, and all the soldiers are gone! The tents are empty, and the horses and donkeys are still tied up. We didn’t see or hear anybody.”

¹¹ The guards reported the news to the king’s palace. ¹² The king got out of bed and said to his officers, “I know what those Syrians are doing. They know we’re starving, so they’re hiding in the fields, hoping we will go out to look for food. When we do, they can capture us and take over our city.”

¹³ One of his officers replied, “We have a few horses left—why don’t we let some men take five of them and go to the Syrian camp and see what’s happening? We’re going to die anyway like those who have already died.”^{[k] 14} They found two chariots, and the king commanded the men to find out what had happened to the Syrian troops.

¹⁵ The men rode as far as the Jordan River. All along the way they saw clothes and equipment that the Syrians had thrown away as they escaped. Then they went back to the king and told him what they had seen.

¹⁶ At once the people went to the Syrian camp and carried off what was left. They took so much that a large sack of flour and two large sacks of barley sold for almost nothing, just as the Lord had promised.

¹⁷ The king of Israel had put his chief officer in charge of the gate, but he died when the people trampled him as they rushed out of the city. ¹⁸ Earlier, when the king was at Elisha’s house, Elisha had told him that flour or barley would sell for almost nothing. ¹⁹ But the officer refused to believe that even the Lord could do that. So Elisha warned him that he would see it happen, but would not eat any of the food. ²⁰ And that’s exactly what happened—the officer was trampled to death.

Paul and Barnabas Go Their Separate Ways

³⁶ Sometime later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit the Lord’s followers in the cities where we preached his message. Then we will know how they are doing.” ³⁷ Barnabas wanted to take along John, whose other name was Mark. ³⁸ But Paul did not want to, because Mark had left them in Pamphylia and had stopped working with them.

³⁹ Paul and Barnabas argued, then each of them went his own way. Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus, ⁴⁰ but Paul took Silas and left after the followers had placed them in God’s care. ⁴¹ They traveled through Syria and Cilicia, encouraging the churches.

Timothy Works with Paul and Silas

16 Paul and Silas went back to Derbe and Lystra, where there was a follower named Timothy. His mother was also a follower. She was Jewish, and his father was Greek. ² The Lord’s followers in Lystra and Iconium said good things about Timothy, ³ and Paul wanted him to go with them. But Paul first had him circumcised, because all the Jewish people around there knew that Timothy’s father was Greek.had him circumcised. . . Timothy’s father was Greek\itw : Timothy would not have been acceptable to the Jews unless he had been circumcised, and Greeks did not circumcise their sons.\f

⁴ As Paul and the others went from city to city, they told the followers what the apostles and leaders in Jerusalem had decided, and they urged them to follow these instructions. ⁵ The churches became stronger in their faith, and each day more people put their faith in the Lord.

Paul’s Vision in Troas

⁶ Paul and his friends went through Phrygia and Galatia, but the Holy Spirit would not let them preach in Asia. ⁷ After they arrived in Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not let them. ⁸ So they went on through^[b] Mysia until they came to Troas.

⁹ During the night, Paul had a vision of someone from Macedonia who was standing there and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” ¹⁰ After Paul had seen the vision, we began looking for a way to go to Macedonia. We were sure that God had called us to preach the good news there.

Lydia Becomes a Follower of the Lord

¹¹ We sailed straight from Troas to Samothrace, and the next day we arrived in Neapolis. ¹² From there we went to Philippi, which is a Roman colony in the first district of Macedonia.^[c]

We spent several days in Philippi. ¹³ Then on the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to a place by the river, where we thought there would be a Jewish meeting place for prayer. We sat down and talked with the women who came. ¹⁴ One of them was Lydia, who was from the city of Thyatira and sold expensive purple cloth. She was a worshiper of the Lord God, and he made her willing to accept what Paul was saying. ¹⁵ Then after she and her family were baptized, she kept on begging us, “If you think I really do have faith in the Lord, come stay in my home.” Finally, we accepted her invitation.

(A special psalm and a prayer by David when he was in the cave.)

A Prayer for Help

¹⁸ One day while the boy was still young, he was out in the fields with his father, where the workers were harvesting the crops. ¹⁹ Suddenly he shouted, “My head hurts. It hurts a lot!”

“Carry him back to his mother,” the father said to his servant. ²⁰ The servant picked up the boy and carried him to his mother. The boy lay on her lap all morning, and by noon he was dead. ²¹ She carried him upstairs to Elisha’s room and laid him across the bed. Then she walked out and shut the door behind her.

²² The woman called to her husband, “I need to see the prophet. Let me use one of the donkeys. Send a servant along with me, and let me leave now, so I can get back quickly.”

²³ “Why do you need to see him today?” her husband asked. “It’s not the Sabbath or time for the New Moon Festival.”

“That’s all right,” she answered. ²⁴ She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Let’s go. And don’t slow down unless I tell you to.” ²⁵ She left at once for Mount Carmel to talk with Elisha.^[a]

When Elisha saw her coming, he said, “Gehazi, look! It’s the woman from Shunem. ²⁶ Run and meet her. And ask her if everything is all right with her and her family.”

“Everything is fine,” she answered Gehazi. ²⁷ But as soon as she got to the top of the mountain, she went over and grabbed Elisha by the feet.

Gehazi started toward her to push her away, when Elisha said, “Leave her alone! Don’t you see how sad she is? But the Lord hasn’t told me why.”

²⁸ The woman said, “Sir, I begged you not to get my hopes up, and I didn’t even ask you for a son.”

²⁹ “Gehazi, get ready and go to her house,” Elisha said. “Take along my walking stick, and when you get there, lay it on the boy’s face. Don’t stop to talk to anyone, even if they try to talk to you.”

³⁰ But the boy’s mother said to Elisha, “I swear by the living Lord and by your own life that I won’t leave without you.” So Elisha got up and went with them.

³¹ Gehazi ran on ahead and laid Elisha’s walking stick on the boy’s face, but the boy didn’t move or make a sound. Gehazi ran back to Elisha and said, “The boy didn’t wake up.”

³² Elisha arrived at the woman’s house and went straight to his room, where he saw the boy’s body on his bed. ³³ He walked in, shut the door, and prayed to the Lord. ³⁴ Then he got on the bed and stretched out over the dead body, with his mouth on the boy’s mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hand on his hands. As he lay there, the boy’s body became warm. ³⁵ Elisha got up and walked back and forth in the room, then he went back and leaned over the boy’s body. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.

³⁶ Elisha called out to Gehazi, “Have the boy’s mother come here.” Gehazi did, and when she was at the door, Elisha said, “You can take your son.”

³⁷ She came in and bowed down at Elisha’s feet. Then she picked up her son and left.

Elisha Makes Some Stew Taste Better

³⁸ Later, Elisha went back to Gilgal, where there was almost nothing to eat, because the crops had failed.

One day while the prophets who lived there were meeting with Elisha, he said to his servant, “Fix a big pot of stew for these prophets.”

³⁹ One of them went out into the woods to gather some herbs. He found a wild vine and picked as much of its fruit as he could carry, but he didn’t know that the fruit was very sour. When he got back, he cut up the fruit and put it in the stew.

⁴⁰ The stew was served, and when the prophets started eating it, they shouted, “Elisha, this stew tastes terrible! We can’t eat it.”

⁴¹ “Bring me some flour,” Elisha said. He sprinkled the flour in the stew and said, “Now serve it to them.” And the stew tasted fine.

Elisha Feeds One Hundred People

⁴² A man from the town of Baal-Shalishah^[b] brought Elisha some freshly cut grain and twenty loaves of bread made from the first barley that was harvested. Elisha said, “Give it to the people so they can eat.”

⁴³ “There’s not enough here for a hundred people,” his servant said.

“Just give it to them,” Elisha replied. “The Lord has promised there will be more than enough.”

⁴⁴ So the servant served the bread and grain to the people. They ate and still had some left over, just as the Lord had promised.

Elisha Heals Naaman

5 Naaman was the commander of the Syrian army. The Lord had helped him and his troops defeat their enemies, so the king of Syria respected Naaman very much. Naaman was a brave soldier, but he had leprosy.^[c]

² One day while the Syrian troops were raiding Israel, they captured a girl, and she became a servant of Naaman’s wife. ³ Some time later the girl said, “If your husband Naaman would go to the prophet in Samaria, he would be cured of his leprosy.”

⁴ When Naaman told the king what the girl had said, ⁵ the king replied, “Go ahead! I will give you a letter to take to the king of Israel.”

Naaman left and took along seven hundred fifty pounds of silver, one hundred fifty pounds of gold, and ten new outfits. ⁶ He also carried the letter to the king of Israel. It said, “I am sending my servant Naaman to you. Would you cure him of his leprosy?”

⁷ When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in fear and shouted, “That Syrian king believes I can cure this man of leprosy! Does he think I’m God with power over life and death? He must be trying to pick a fight with me.”

⁸ As soon as Elisha the prophet^[d] heard what had happened, he sent the Israelite king this message: “Why are you so afraid? Send the man to me, so that he will know there is a prophet in Israel.”

⁹ Naaman left with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰ Elisha sent someone outside to say to him, “Go wash seven times in the Jordan River. Then you’ll be completely cured.”

¹¹ But Naaman stormed off, grumbling, “Why couldn’t he come out and talk to me? I thought for sure he would stand in front of me and pray to the Lord his God, then wave his hand over my skin and cure me. ¹² What about the Abana River^[e] or the Pharpar River? Those rivers in Damascus are just as good as any river in Israel. I could have washed in them and been cured.”

¹³ His servants went over to him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would have done it. So why don’t you do what he said? Go wash and be cured.”

¹⁴ Naaman walked down to the Jordan; he waded out into the water and stooped down in it seven times, just as Elisha had told him. Right away, he was cured, and his skin became as smooth as a child’s.

¹⁵ Naaman and his officials went back to Elisha. Naaman stood in front of him and announced, “Now I know that the God of Israel is the only God in the whole world. Sir, would you please accept a gift from me?”

¹⁶ “I am a servant of the living Lord,” Elisha answered, “and I swear that I will not take anything from you.”

Naaman kept begging, but Elisha kept refusing. ¹⁷ Finally Naaman said, “If you won’t accept a gift, then please let me take home as much soil as two mules can pull in a wagon. Sir, from now on I will offer sacrifices only to the Lord.^{[f] 18} But I pray that the Lord will forgive me when I go into the temple of the god Rimmon and bow down there with the king of Syria.”

¹⁹ “Go on home, and don’t worry about that,” Elisha replied. Then Naaman left.

Elisha Places a Curse on Gehazi

After Naaman had gone only a short distance, ²⁰ Gehazi said to himself, “Elisha let that Syrian off too easy. He should have taken Naaman’s gift. I swear by the living Lord that I will talk to Naaman myself and get something from him.” ²¹ So he hurried after Naaman.

When Naaman saw Gehazi running after him, he got out of his chariot to meet him. Naaman asked, “Is everything all right?”

²² “Yes,” Gehazi answered. “But my master has sent me to tell you about two young prophets from the hills of Ephraim. They came asking for help, and now Elisha wants to know if you would give them about seventy-five pounds of silver and some new clothes?”

²³ “Sure,” Naaman replied. “But why don’t you take twice that amount of silver?” He convinced Gehazi to take it all, then put the silver in two bags. He handed the bags and the clothes to his two servants, and they carried them for Gehazi.

²⁴ When they reached the hill where Gehazi lived, he took the bags from the servants and placed them in his house, then sent the men away. After they had gone, ²⁵ Gehazi went in and stood in front of Elisha, who asked, “Gehazi, where have you been?”

“Nowhere, sir,” Gehazi answered.

²⁶ Elisha asked, “Don’t you know that my spirit was there when Naaman got out of his chariot to talk with you? Gehazi, you have no right to accept money or clothes, olive orchards or vineyards, sheep or cattle, or servants. ²⁷ Because of what you’ve done, Naaman’s leprosy^[g] will now be on you and your descendants forever!”

Suddenly, Gehazi’s skin became white with leprosy, and he left.

15 Some people came from Judea and started teaching the Lord’s followers that they could not be saved, unless they were circumcised as Moses had taught. ² This caused trouble, and Paul and Barnabas argued with them about this teaching. So it was decided to send Paul and Barnabas and a few others to Jerusalem to discuss this problem with the apostles and the church leaders.

The Church Leaders Meet in Jerusalem

³ The men who were sent by the church went through Phoenicia and Samaria, telling how the Gentiles had turned to God. This news made the Lord’s followers very happy. ⁴ When the men arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, including the apostles and the leaders. They told them everything God had helped them do. ⁵ But some Pharisees had become followers of the Lord. They stood up and said, “Gentiles who have faith in the Lord must be circumcised and told to obey the Law of Moses.”

⁶ The apostles and church leaders met to discuss this problem about Gentiles. ⁷ They had talked it over for a long time, when Peter got up and said:

¹² Everyone kept quiet and listened as Barnabas and Paul told how God had given them the power to work a lot of miracles and wonders for the Gentiles.

¹³ After they had finished speaking, James^[a] said:

A Letter to Gentiles Who Had Faith in the Lord

²² The apostles, the leaders, and all the church members decided to send some men to Antioch along with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Silas and Judas Barsabbas,^[d] who were two leaders of the Lord’s followers. ²³ They wrote a letter that said:

³⁰ The four men left Jerusalem and went to Antioch. Then they called the church members together and gave them the letter. ³¹ When the letter was read, everyone was pleased and greatly encouraged. ³² Judas and Silas were prophets, and they spoke a long time, encouraging and helping the Lord’s followers.

³³ The men from Jerusalem stayed on in Antioch for a while. And when they left to return to the ones who had sent them, the followers wished them well. ^34-35 But Paul and Barnabas stayed on in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached about the Lord.^[e]

(A psalm by David.)

A Prayer for the Lord’s Protection

Jehoram Meets Moab Rebellion

3 Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the ^[a]eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. ² He did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not like his father and mother; for he put away the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. ³ Nevertheless, he continued in the [idolatrous] sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin; he did not depart from them.

^4 [b]Mesha the king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and he used to pay [an annual tribute] to the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. ⁵ But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. ⁶ So King Jehoram left Samaria at that time and assembled all [the fighting men of] Israel. ⁷ Then he went and sent word to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” And he replied, “I will go; I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” ⁸ Jehoram said, “Which way shall we go up?” Jehoshaphat answered, “The way through the Wilderness of Edom.”

⁹ So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. They made a circuit of seven days’ journey, but there was no water for the army or for the cattle that followed them. ¹⁰ Then the king of Israel said, “We are doomed, for the Lord has called these three kings to be handed over to Moab.” ¹¹ But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here from whom we may inquire of the Lord?” One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who ^[c]used to pour water over Elijah’s hands.” ¹² 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 Elisha.

¹³ Now Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What business do you have with me? Go to the prophets of your [wicked] father [Ahab] and to the prophets of your [pagan] mother [Jezebel].” But the king of Israel said to him, “No, for the Lord has called these three kings together to be handed over to Moab.” ¹⁴ Elisha said, “As the Lord of hosts (armies) lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I have regard for Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you [king of Israel]. ¹⁵ But now bring me a musician.” And it came about while the musician played, that the hand (power) of the Lord came upon Elisha. ¹⁶ He said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Make this valley (the Arabah) full of trenches.’ ¹⁷ For thus says the Lord, ‘You will not see wind or rain, yet that valley will be filled with water, so you and your cattle and your other animals may drink. ¹⁸ This is but a simple thing in the sight of the Lord; He will also hand over the Moabites to you. ¹⁹ You shall strike every fortified city and every choice (principal) city, and cut down every good tree and stop up all sources of water, and ruin every good piece of land with stones.’” ²⁰ It happened in the morning, when the sacrifice was offered, that suddenly water came [miraculously] from the area of Edom, and the country was filled with water.

²¹ Now all the Moabites heard that the [three] kings had come up to fight against them, and all ^[d]who were able to put on armor, as well as those who were older, were summoned and stood [together in battle formation] at the border. ²² When they got up early the next morning, the sun shone on the water, and the Moabites saw the water across from them as red as blood. ²³ And they said, “This is blood! Clearly the kings have fought together, and have killed one another. Now then, Moab, to the spoil [and the plunder of the dead soldiers]!” ²⁴ But when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and struck the Moabites, so that they fled before them; and they went forward into the land, killing the Moabites [as they went]. ²⁵ They destroyed the [walls of the] cities, and each man threw a stone on every piece of good land, covering it [with stones]. And they stopped up all the springs of water and cut down all the good trees, until they left nothing in Kir-hareseth [Moab’s capital city] but its stones. Then the [stone] slingers surrounded the city and destroyed it. ²⁶ When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom; but they could not. ²⁷ Then the king of Moab took his ^[e]eldest son, who was to reign in his place, and ^[f]offered him [publicly] as a burnt offering [to Chemosh] on the [city] wall [horrifying everyone]. And there was great wrath against Israel, and Israel’s allies [Judah and Edom] withdrew from King Jehoram and returned to their own land.

The Widow’s Oil

4 Now one of the wives of a man of the ^[g]sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha [for help], saying “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant [reverently] feared the Lord; but the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves [in payment for a loan].” ² Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have [of value] in the house?” She said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a [small] jar of [olive] oil.” ³ Then he said, “Go, borrow containers from all your neighbors, empty containers—and not just a few. ⁴ Then you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour out [the oil you have] into all these containers, and you shall set aside each one when it is full.” ⁵ So she left him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they were bringing her the containers as she poured [the oil]. ⁶ When the containers were all full, she said to her son, “Bring me another container.” And he said to her, “There is not a one left.” Then the oil stopped [multiplying]. ⁷ Then she came and told the man of God. He said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”

The Shunammite Woman

⁸ Now there came a day when Elisha went over to Shunem, where there was a prominent and influential woman, and she persuaded him to eat a meal. Afterward, whenever he passed by, he stopped there for a meal. ⁹ She said to her husband, “Behold, I sense that this is a holy man of God who frequently passes our way. ¹⁰ Please, let us make a small, fully-walled upper room [on the housetop] and put a bed there for him, with a table, a chair, and a lampstand. Then whenever he comes to visit us, he can turn in there.”

¹¹ One day he came there and turned in to the upper room and lay down to rest. ¹² And he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her and she stood before him. ¹³ Now he said to Gehazi, “Say to her now, ‘You have gone to all this trouble for us; what can I do for you? Would you like to be mentioned to the king or to the captain of the army?’” She answered, “I live among my own people [in peace and security and need no special favors].” ¹⁴ Later Elisha said, “What then is to be done for her?” Gehazi answered, “Well, she has no son and her husband is old.” ¹⁵ He said, “Call her.” So Gehazi called her, and she [came and] stood in the doorway. ¹⁶ Elisha said, “At this season next year, you will embrace a son.” She said, “No, my lord. O man of God, do not lie to your maidservant.”

¹⁷ But the woman conceived and gave birth to a son at that season the next year, just as Elisha had said to her.

⁸ Now at Lystra a man sat who was unable to use his feet, for he was crippled from birth and had never walked. ⁹ This man was listening to Paul as he spoke, and Paul looked intently at him and saw that he had faith to be healed, ¹⁰ and said with a loud voice, “Stand up on your feet.” And he jumped up and began to walk. ¹¹ And the crowds, when they saw what Paul had done, raised their voices, shouting in the ^[a]Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us ^[b]in human form!” ¹² They began calling Barnabas, Zeus [chief of the Greek gods], and Paul, Hermes [messenger of the Greek gods], since he took the lead in speaking. ¹³ The priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance of the city, brought bulls and garlands to the city gates, and wanted to offer sacrifices with the crowds. ¹⁴ But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard about it, they ^[c]tore their robes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting, ¹⁵ “Men, why are you doing these things? We too are only men of the same nature as you, bringing the good news to you, so that you turn from these useless and meaningless things to the living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything that is in them.^{(A) 16} In generations past He permitted all the nations to go their own ways; ¹⁷ yet He did not leave Himself without some witness [as evidence of Himself], in that He kept constantly doing good things and showing you kindness, and giving you rains from heaven and productive seasons, filling your hearts with food and happiness.” ¹⁸ Even saying these words, with difficulty they prevented the people from offering sacrifices to them.

¹⁹ But Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead.^{(B) 20} But the disciples formed a circle around him, and he got up and went back into the city; and the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. ²¹ They preached the good news to that city and made many disciples, then they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, ²² strengthening and establishing the hearts of the disciples; encouraging them to remain firm in the faith, saying, “It is through many tribulations and hardships that we must enter the kingdom of God.” ²³ When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they entrusted them to the Lord in whom they believed [and joyfully accepted as the Messiah].

²⁴ Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. ²⁵ When they had spoken the word [of salvation through faith in Christ] in Perga, they went down to Attalia. ²⁶ From there they sailed back to ^[d]Antioch, where they had been entrusted to the grace of God for the ^[e]work which they had now completed. ²⁷ Arriving there, they gathered the church together and began to report [in great detail] everything that God had done with them and how He had opened to the Gentiles a door of faith [in Jesus as the Messiah and Savior]. ²⁸ And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

Prayer for Protection against the Wicked.

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.