July
5
2
Kings 1-3
2Ki
1:1 Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.
2Ki
1:2 Ahaziah fell down through the lattice in his upper chamber that
was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said to
them, Go, inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall
recover of this sickness.
2Ki
1:3 But the angel of Yahweh said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go
up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and tell them, Is
it because there is no God in Israel, that you go to inquire of Baal
Zebub, the god of Ekron?
2Ki
1:4 Now therefore thus says Yahweh, You shall not come down from the
bed where you have gone up, but shall surely die. Elijah departed.
2Ki
1:5 The messengers returned to him, and he said to them, Why is it
that you have returned?
2Ki
1:6 They said to him, There came up a man to meet us, and said to
us, Go, turn again to the king who sent you, and tell him, Thus says
Yahweh, Is it because there is no God in Israel, that you send to
inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron? therefore you shall not come
down from the bed where you are gone up, but shall surely die.
2Ki
1:7 He said to them, What kind of man was he who came up to meet
you, and told you these words?
2Ki
1:8 They answered him, He was a hairy man, and girt with a belt of
leather about his waist. He said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.
2Ki
1:9 Then the king
sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty. He went up to him: and
behold, he was sitting on the top of the hill. He spoke to him, man
of God, the king has said, Come down.
2Ki
1:10 Elijah answered to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God,
let fire come down from the sky, and consume you and your fifty. Fire
came down from the sky, and consumed him and his fifty.
2Ki
1:11 Again he sent to him another captain of fifty and his fifty. He
answered him, man of God, thus has the king said, Come down quickly.
2Ki
1:12 Elijah answered them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down
from the sky, and consume you and your fifty. The fire of God came
down from the sky, and consumed him and his fifty.
2Ki
1:13 Again he sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. The
third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before
Elijah, and begged him, and said to him, man of God, please let my
life, and the life of these fifty your servants, be precious in your
sight.
2Ki
1:14 Behold, fire came down from the sky, and consumed the two
former captains of fifty with their fifties; but now let my life be
precious in your sight.
2Ki
1:15 The angel of Yahweh said to Elijah, Go down with him: don't be
afraid of him. He arose, and went down with him to the king.
2Ki
1:16 He said to him, Thus says Yahweh, Because you have sent
messengers to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron, is it because
there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word? therefore you shall
not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but shall surely
die.
2Ki
1:17 So he died according to the word of Yahweh which Elijah had
spoken. Jehoram began to reign in his place in the second year of
Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son.
2Ki
1:18 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, aren't they
written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
2Ki
2:1 It happened, when Yahweh would take up Elijah by a whirlwind
into heaven, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.
2Ki
2:2 Elijah said to Elisha, Please wait here, for Yahweh has sent me
as far as Bethel. Elisha said, As Yahweh lives, and as your soul
lives, I will not leave you. So they went down to Bethel.
2Ki
2:3 The sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came forth to
Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that Yahweh will take away
your master from your head today?" He said, "Yes, I know
it; hold your peace."
2Ki
2:4 Elijah said to him, Elisha, please wait here, for Yahweh has
sent me to Jericho. He said, As Yahweh lives, and as your soul lives,
I will not leave you. So they came to Jericho.
2Ki
2:5 The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came near to
Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that Yahweh will take away
your master from your head today?" He answered, "Yes, I
know it. Hold your peace."
2Ki
2:6 Elijah said to him, "Please wait here, for Yahweh has sent
me to the Jordan." He said, "As Yahweh lives, and as your
soul lives, I will not leave you." They two went on.
2Ki
2:7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood over
against them afar off: and they two stood by the Jordan.
2Ki
2:8 Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and struck the
waters, and they were divided here and there, so that they two went
over on dry ground.
2Ki
2:9 It happened, when they had gone over, that Elijah said to
Elisha, Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.
Elisha said, please let a double portion of your spirit be on me.
2Ki
2:10 He said, "You have asked a hard thing. If you see me when
I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not
be so."
2Ki
2:11 It happened, as they still went on, and talked, that behold, a
chariot of fire and horses of fire separated them; and Elijah went up
by a whirlwind into heaven.
2Ki
2:12 Elisha saw it, and he cried, "My father, my father, the
chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" He saw him no more: and he
took hold of his own clothes, and tore them in two pieces.
2Ki
2:13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and
went back, and stood by the bank of the Jordan.
2Ki
2:14 He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and struck the
waters, and said, "Where is Yahweh, the God of Elijah?"
When he also had struck the waters, they were divided here and there;
and Elisha went over.
2Ki
2:15 When the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho over against
him saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah does rest on Elisha.
They came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
2Ki
2:16 They said to him, See now, there are with your servants fifty
strong men; let them go, please, and seek your master, lest the
Spirit of Yahweh has taken him up, and cast him on some mountain, or
into some valley. He said, You shall not send.
2Ki
2:17 When they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, Send. They
sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but didn't find
him.
2Ki
2:18 They came back to him, while he stayed at Jericho; and he said
to them, "Didn't I tell you, 'Don't go?' "
2Ki
2:19 The men of the city said to Elisha, Behold, we pray you, the
situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees: but the water is
bad, and the land miscarries.
2Ki
2:20 He said, Bring me a new jar, and put salt therein. They brought
it to him.
2Ki
2:21 He went forth to the spring of the waters, and cast salt
therein, and said, Thus says Yahweh, I have healed these waters;
there shall not be from there any more death or miscarrying.
2Ki
2:22 So the waters were healed to this day, according to the word of
Elisha which he spoke.
2Ki
2:23 He went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the
way, some youths came out of the city and mocked him, and said to
him, Go up, you baldy; go up, you baldhead.
2Ki
2:24 He looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name
of Yahweh. Two female bears came out of the woods, and mauled
forty-two of those youths.
2Ki
2:25 He went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned
to Samaria.
2Ki
3:1 Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in
Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and
reigned twelve years.
2Ki
3:2 He did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, but not like
his father, and like his mother; for he put away the pillar of Baal
that his father had made.
2Ki
3:3 Nevertheless he cleaved to the sins of Jeroboam the son of
Nebat, with which he made Israel to sin; he didn't depart from it.
2Ki
3:4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder; and he rendered to
the king of Israel the wool of one hundred thousand lambs, and of one
hundred thousand rams.
2Ki
3:5 But it happened, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab
rebelled against the king of Israel.
2Ki
3:6 King Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time, and mustered all
Israel.
2Ki
3:7 He went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The
king of Moab has rebelled against me: will you go with me against
Moab to battle? He said, I will go up: I am as you are, my people as
your people, my horses as your horses.
2Ki
3:8 He said, Which way shall we go up? He answered, The way of the
wilderness of Edom.
2Ki
3:9 So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king
of Edom; and they made a circuit of seven days' journey: and there
was no water for the army, nor for the animals that followed them.
2Ki
3:10 The king of Israel said, Alas! for Yahweh has called these
three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.
2Ki
3:11 But Jehoshaphat said, Isn't there here a prophet of Yahweh,
that we may inquire of Yahweh by him? One of the king of Israel's
servants answered, Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured
water on the hands of Elijah.
2Ki
3:12 Jehoshaphat said, The word of Yahweh is with him. So the king
of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
2Ki
3:13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, "What have I to do with
you? Go to the prophets of your father, and to the prophets of your
mother." The king of Israel said to him, "No; for Yahweh
has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand
of Moab."
2Ki
3:14 Elisha said, "As Yahweh of Armies lives, before whom I
stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat
the king of Judah, I would not look toward you, nor see you.
2Ki
3:15 But now bring me a minstrel." It happened, when the
minstrel played, that the hand of Yahweh came on him.
2Ki
3:16 He said, Thus says Yahweh, Make this valley full of trenches.
2Ki
3:17 For thus says Yahweh, You shall not see wind, neither shall you
see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, and you shall
drink, both you and your livestock and your animals.
2Ki
3:18 This is but a light thing in the sight of Yahweh: he will also
deliver the Moabites into your hand.
2Ki
3:19 You shall strike every fortified city, and every choice city,
and shall fell every good tree, and stop all springs of water, and
mar every good piece of land with stones.
2Ki
3:20 It happened in the morning, about the time of offering the
offering, that behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the
country was filled with water.
2Ki
3:21 Now when all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to
fight against them, they gathered themselves together, all who were
able to put on armor, and upward, and stood on the border.
2Ki
3:22 They rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone on the
water, and the Moabites saw the water over against them as red as
blood:
2Ki
3:23 and they said, This is blood; the kings are surely destroyed,
and they have struck each man his fellow: now therefore, Moab, to the
spoil.
2Ki
3:24 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 smiting the Moabites.
2Ki
3:25 They beat down the cities; and on every good piece of land they
cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the
springs of water, and felled all the good trees, until in Kir
Hareseth only
they left its stones; however the men armed with slings went about
it, and struck it.
2Ki
3:26 When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too severe for
him, he took with him seven hundred men who drew sword, to break
through to the king of Edom; but they could not.
2Ki
3:27 Then he took his eldest son who would have reigned in his
place, and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. There was
great wrath against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned
to their own land.