Luke 4:38-44
[38]
And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now
Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to
him on her behalf. [39] And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and
it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them.
[40]
Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with
various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one
of them and healed them. [41] And demons also came out of many, crying,
“You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them
to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.
[42]
And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And
the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from
leaving them, [43] but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of
the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this
purpose.” [44] And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
Philippians 1:1-11
[1] Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:
[2] Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
[3]
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, [4] always in every prayer
of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, [5] because of your
partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. [6] And I am
sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to
completion at the day of Jesus Christ. [7] It is right for me to feel
this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all
partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense
and confirmation of the gospel. [8] For God is my witness, how I yearn
for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. [9] And it is my prayer
that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all
discernment, [10] so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be
pure and blameless for the day of Christ, [11] filled with the fruit of
righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise
of God.
Psalm 119:105-112
[105] Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
[106] I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
to keep your righteous rules.
[107] I am severely afflicted;
give me life, O LORD, according to your word!
[108] Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O LORD,
and teach me your rules.
[109] I hold my life in my hand continually,
but I do not forget your law.
[110] The wicked have laid a snare for me,
but I do not stray from your precepts.
[111] Your testimonies are my heritage forever,
for they are the joy of my heart.
[112] I incline my heart to perform your statutes
forever, to the end.
2 Kings 1
[1] After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel.
[2]
Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria,
and lay sick; so he sent messengers, telling them, “Go, inquire of
Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this
sickness.” [3] But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite,
“Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to
them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to
inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? [4] Now therefore thus says the
LORD, You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up,
but you shall surely die.’” So Elijah went.
[5]
The messengers returned to the king, and he said to them, “Why have you
returned?” [6] And they said to him, “There came a man to meet us, and
said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you, and say to him, Thus says
the LORD, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending
to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come
down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely
die.’” [7] He said to them, “What kind of man was he who came to meet
you and told you these things?” [8] They answered him, “He wore a
garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.” And he said,
“It is Elijah the Tishbite.”
[9]
Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty men with his fifty. He
went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to
him, “O man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’” [10] But Elijah
answered the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down
from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then fire came down from
heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
[11]
Again the king sent to him another captain of fifty men with his fifty.
And he answered and said to him, “O man of God, this is the king’s
order, ‘Come down quickly!’” [12] But Elijah answered them, “If I am a
man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your
fifty.” Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and
his fifty.
[13]
Again the king sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And
the third captain of fifty went up and came and fell on his knees before
Elijah and entreated him, “O man of God, please let my life, and the
life of these fifty servants of yours, be precious in your sight. [14]
Behold, fire came down from heaven and consumed the two former captains
of fifty men with their fifties, but now let my life be precious in your
sight.” [15] Then the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, “Go down with
him; do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the
king [16] and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘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 to which you have gone up, but you shall
surely die.’”
[17]
So he died according to the word of the LORD that Elijah had spoken.
Jehoram became king in his place in the second year of Jehoram the son
of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, because Ahaziah had no son. [18] Now the
rest of the acts of Ahaziah that he did, are they not written in the
Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
2 Kings 2
[1]
Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind,
Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. [2] And Elijah said to
Elisha, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel.”
But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will
not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. [3] And the sons of the
prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you
know that today the LORD will take away your master from over you?” And
he said, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”
[4]
Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for the LORD has sent me
to Jericho.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live,
I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. [5] The sons of the
prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, “Do
you know that today the LORD will take away your master from over you?”
And he answered, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”
[6]
Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to
the Jordan.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live,
I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. [7] Fifty men of the
sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as
they both were standing by the Jordan. [8] Then Elijah took his cloak
and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the
one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry
ground.
[9]
When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for
you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a
double portion of your spirit on me.” [10] And he said, “You have asked
a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall
be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.” [11] And
as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of
fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into
heaven. [12] And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The
chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more.
Then
he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. [13] And
he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back
and stood on the bank of the Jordan. [14] Then he took the cloak of
Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, “Where is
the LORD, the God of Elijah?” And when he had struck the water, the
water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.
[15]
Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him opposite
them, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came
to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. [16] And they said to
him, “Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men. Please
let them go and seek your master. It may be that the Spirit of the LORD
has caught him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley.”
And he said, “You shall not send.” [17] But when they urged him till he
was ashamed, he said, “Send.” They sent therefore fifty men. And for
three days they sought him but did not find him. [18] And they came back
to him while he was staying at Jericho, and he said to them, “Did I not
say to you, ‘Do not go’?”
[19]
Now the men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold, the situation of this
city is pleasant, as my lord sees, but the water is bad, and the land is
unfruitful.” [20] He said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.”
So they brought it to him. [21] Then he went to the spring of water and
threw salt in it and said, “Thus says the LORD, I have healed this
water; from now on neither death nor miscarriage shall come from it.”
[22] So the water has been healed to this day, according to the word
that Elisha spoke.
[23]
He went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way,
some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go up,
you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” [24] And he turned around, and when
he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. And two she-bears
came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys. [25] From there he
went on to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
2 Kings 3
[1]
In the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Jehoram the son of
Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twelve years.
[2] He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, though not like his
father and mother, for he put away the pillar of Baal that his father
had made. [3] Nevertheless, he clung to the sin of Jeroboam the son of
Nebat, which he made Israel to sin; he did not depart from it.
[4]
Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and he had to deliver 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 marched out of Samaria at that time and mustered all
Israel. [7] And he went and sent word to Jehoshaphat king of Judah:
“The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to battle
against Moab?” And he said, “I will go. I am as you are, my people as
your people, my horses as your horses.” [8] Then he said, “By which way
shall we march?” Jehoram answered, “By the way of the wilderness of
Edom.”
[9]
So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom.
And when they had made a circuitous march of seven days, there was no
water for the army or for the animals that followed them. [10] Then the
king of Israel said, “Alas! The LORD has called these three kings to
give them into the hand of Moab.” [11] And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there
no prophet of the LORD here, through whom we may inquire of the LORD?”
Then one of the king of Israel’s servants answered, “Elisha the son of
Shaphat is here, who 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]
And 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.” But
the king of Israel said to him, “No; it is the LORD who has called these
three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.” [14] And Elisha said,
“As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I
have regard for Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would neither look at
you nor see you. [15] But now bring me a musician.” And when the
musician played, the hand of the LORD came upon him. [16] And he said,
“Thus says the LORD, ‘I will make this dry streambed full of pools.’
[17] For thus says the LORD, ‘You shall not see wind or rain, but that
streambed shall be filled with water, so that you shall drink, you, your
livestock, and your animals.’ [18] This is a light thing in the sight
of the LORD. He will also give the Moabites into your hand, [19] and you
shall attack every fortified city and every choice city, and shall fell
every good tree and stop up all springs of water and ruin every good
piece of land with stones.” [20] The next morning, about the time of
offering the sacrifice, behold, water came from the direction of Edom,
till the country was filled with water.
[21]
When all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against
them, all who were able to put on armor, from the youngest to the
oldest, were called out and were drawn up at the border. [22] And when
they rose early in the morning and the sun shone on the water, the
Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood. [23] And they
said, “This is blood; the kings have surely fought together and struck
one another down. Now then, Moab, to the spoil!” [24] But when they came
to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose and struck the Moabites,
till they fled before them. And they went forward, striking the Moabites
as they went. [25] And they overthrew the cities, and on every good
piece of land every man threw a stone until it was covered. They stopped
every spring of water and felled all the good trees, till only its
stones were left in Kir-hareseth, and the slingers surrounded and
attacked it. [26] When the king of Moab saw that the battle was going
against him, he took with him 700 swordsmen to break through, opposite
the king of Edom, but they could not. [27] Then he took his oldest son
who was to reign in his place and offered him for a burnt offering on
the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel. And they withdrew
from him and returned to their own land.
