Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab

18 Now ^(A)Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor; and he allied himself by marriage to Ahab. ^2 (B)Some years later he went down to visit Ahab at Samaria, and Ahab slaughtered many sheep and oxen for him and the people who were with him. And he incited him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. ³ Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth-gilead?” And he said to him, “I am as you are, and my people as your people, and we will be with you in the battle.”

⁴ However, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please request the word of the Lord ^[a]first.” ⁵ So the king of Israel assembled the ^[b]prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, “Should we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will hand it over to the king.” ⁶ But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of him?” ⁷ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, for he never prophesies anything good regarding me, but always bad. He is Micaiah the son of Imlah.” But Jehoshaphat said, “May the king not say so.”

Ahab’s False Prophets Assure Victory

⁸ Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah quickly.” ⁹ Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting, each on his throne, dressed in their robes, and they were sitting ^(C)at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹⁰ Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed!’” ¹¹ All the prophets were prophesying this as well, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and be successful, for the Lord will hand it over to the king.”

Micaiah Brings Word from God

¹² Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold, the words of the prophets are ^[c]unanimously favorable to the king. So please let your word be like one of them, and speak favorably.” ¹³ But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, ^(D)whatever my God says, I will speak it.”

¹⁴ When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?” He said, “Go up and succeed, for they will be handed over to you!” ¹⁵ Then the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear that you will tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” ¹⁶ So he said,

¹⁷ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy anything good regarding me, but only bad?”

¹⁸ And Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. ^(F)I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the ^[d]angels of heaven standing on His right and on His left. ¹⁹ And the Lord said, ‘Who will ^[e]entice Ahab king of Israel to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one spirit said this, while another said that. ²⁰ Then a ^(G)spirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will ^[f]entice him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘How?’ ²¹ He said, ‘I will go out and be ^(H)a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You shall ^[g]entice him, and you will also prevail. Go out and do so.’ ²² Now therefore, behold, ^(I)the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours, for the Lord has declared disaster against you.”

²³ Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah approached and ^(J)struck Micaiah on the cheek; and he said, “^[h]How did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?” ²⁴ And Micaiah said, “Behold, you are going to see how on that day when you go from one inner room to ^[i]another trying to hide yourself.” ²⁵ Then the king of Israel said, “^(K)Take Micaiah and return him to Amon ^(L)the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son; ²⁶ and say, ‘This is what the king says: “^(M)Put this man in prison, and feed him enough bread and water to survive until I ^[j]return safely.”’” ²⁷ But Micaiah said, “If you actually return ^[k]safely, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “^[l](N)Listen, all you people!”

Ahab’s Defeat and Death

²⁸ So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead. ²⁹ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. ³⁰ Now the king of Aram had commanded the commanders of his chariots, saying, “Do not fight with the small or great, but only with the king of Israel.” ³¹ So when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “He is the king of Israel!” And they turned aside to fight against him. But Jehoshaphat ^(O)cried out, and the Lord helped him, and God diverted them from him. ³² When the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. ³³ Now one man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel ^[m]in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn ^[n]around and take me out of the battle, for I am severely wounded.” ³⁴ The battle raged on that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot in front of the Arameans until the evening; and at sunset he died.

An Interlude

7 After this I saw ^(A)four angels standing at the ^(B)four corners of the earth, holding back ^(C)the four winds of the earth ^(D)so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree. ² And I saw another angel ascending ^(E)from the rising of the sun, holding the ^(F)seal of ^(G)the living God; and he called out with a loud voice to the ^(H)four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, ³ saying, “^(I)Do not harm the earth, or the sea, or the trees until we have ^(J)sealed the bond-servants of our God on their ^(K)foreheads.”

The 144,000

⁴ And I heard the ^(L)number of those who were sealed: ^(M)144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

A Multitude from the Tribulation

⁹ After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from ^(N)every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing ^(O)before the throne and ^(P)before the Lamb, clothed in ^(Q)white robes, and ^(R)palm branches were in their hands; ¹⁰ and they *cried out with a loud voice, saying,

¹¹ And all the angels were standing ^(U)around the throne and around ^(V)the elders and the ^(W)four living creatures; and they ^(X)fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying,

¹³ Then one of the elders ^(AB)responded, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the ^(AC)white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” ¹⁴ I ^[a]said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the ^(AD)great tribulation, and they have ^(AE)washed their robes and made them ^(AF)white in the ^(AG)blood of the Lamb. ¹⁵ For this reason they are ^(AH)before the throne of God, and they ^(AI)serve Him day and night in His ^[b](AJ)temple; and ^(AK)He who sits on the throne will spread His ^(AL)tabernacle over them. ^16 (AM)They will no longer hunger nor thirst, nor will the sun ^[c]beat down on them, nor any scorching heat; ¹⁷ for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their ^(AN)shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the ^[d](AO)water of life; and ^(AP)God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

Joshua, the High Priest

3 Then he showed me ^(A)Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and ^[a](B)Satan standing at his right to accuse him. ² And the Lord said to Satan, “^(C)The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has ^(D)chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a ^(E)log snatched from the fire?” ³ Now Joshua was clothed in ^(F)filthy garments and was standing before the angel. ⁴ And he responded and said to those who were standing before him, saying, “^(G)Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again he said to him, “See, I have ^(H)taken your guilt away from you and ^[b]will ^(I)clothe you with festive robes.” ⁵ Then I said, “Have them put a clean ^(J)headband on his head.” So they put the clean headband on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the Lord was standing by.

⁶ And the angel of the Lord admonished Joshua, saying, ⁷ “The Lord of armies says this: ‘If you ^(K)walk in My ways and perform My service, then you will both ^(L)govern My house and be in charge of My ^(M)courtyards, and I will grant you ^[c]free access among these who are standing here.

The Branch

⁸ Now listen, Joshua, you high priest, you and your friends who are sitting in front of you—indeed they are men who are a ^(N)sign: for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the ^[d](O)Branch. ⁹ For behold, the stone that I have put before Joshua; on one stone are ^(P)seven eyes. Behold, I am going to engrave an inscription on it,’ declares the Lord of armies, ‘and I will ^(Q)remove the guilt of that land in one day. ¹⁰ On that day,’ declares the Lord of armies, ‘every one of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his ^(R)vine and under his fig tree.’”

Five Thousand Men Fed

6 After these things ^(A)Jesus went away to the other side of ^(B)the Sea of Galilee (or ^(C)Tiberias). ² A large crowd was following Him, because they were watching the ^[a](D)signs which He was performing on those who were sick. ³ But ^(E)Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. ⁴ Now ^(F)the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. ⁵ So Jesus, after raising His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, *said to ^(G)Philip, “Where are we to buy bread so that these people may eat?” ⁶ But He was saying this only to ^(H)test him, for He Himself knew what He intended to do. ^7 (I)Philip answered Him, “^(J)Two hundred ^[b]denarii worth of bread is not enough for them, for each to receive just a little!” ⁸ One of His ^(K)disciples, ^(L)Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, *said to Him, ⁹ “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two ^(M)fish; but what are these for so many people?” ¹⁰ Jesus said, “Have the people recline to eat.” Now there was ^(N)plenty of grass in the place. So the men reclined, about ^[c](O)five thousand in number. ¹¹ Jesus then took the loaves, and ^(P)after giving thanks He distributed them to those who were reclining; likewise also of the ^(Q)fish, as much as they wanted. ¹² And when they had eaten their fill, He *said to His ^(R)disciples, “Gather up the leftover pieces so that nothing will be lost.” ¹³ So they gathered them up, and filled twelve ^(S)baskets with pieces from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. ¹⁴ Therefore when the people saw the ^[d]sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the ^(T)Prophet who is to come into the world.”

Jesus Walks on the Water

¹⁵ So Jesus, aware that they ^[e]intended to come and take Him by force ^(U)to make Him king, ^(V)withdrew again to ^(W)the mountain by Himself, alone.

¹⁶ Now when evening came, His ^(X)disciples went down to the sea, ¹⁷ and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea ^(Y)to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. ¹⁸ In addition, the sea began getting rough, because a strong wind was blowing. ¹⁹ Then, when they had rowed about ^[f]twenty-five or thirty stadia, they *saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat; and they were frightened. ²⁰ But He *said to them, “It is I; ^[g](Z)do not be afraid.” ²¹ So they were willing to take Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

²² The next day ^(AA)the crowd that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there except one, and that Jesus ^(AB)had not gotten into the boat with His disciples, but that His disciples had departed alone. ²³ Other small boats came from ^(AC)Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread after the ^(AD)Lord ^(AE)had given thanks. ²⁴ So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats and ^(AF)came to Capernaum, looking for Jesus. ²⁵ And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “^(AG)Rabbi, when did You get here?”

Words to the People

²⁶ Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you ^(AH)seek Me, not because you saw ^[h](AI)signs, but because you ate some of the loaves and were filled. ²⁷ Do not ^(AJ)work for the food that perishes, but for the food that lasts for ^(AK)eternal life, which ^(AL)the Son of Man will give you, for on Him the Father, God, ^(AM)has set His ^[i]seal.” ²⁸ Therefore they said to Him, “What are we to do, so that we may accomplish the works of God?” ²⁹ Jesus answered and said to them, “This is ^(AN)the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He ^(AO)has sent.” ³⁰ So they said to Him, “^(AP)What then are You doing as a ^(AQ)sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work are You performing? ^31 (AR)Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘^(AS)He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’” ³² Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. ³³ For the bread of God is ^[j]that which ^(AT)comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.” ³⁴ Then they said to Him, “Lord, always ^(AU)give us this bread.”

³⁵ Jesus said to them, “^(AV)I am the bread of life; the one who comes to Me will not be hungry, and the one who believes in Me ^(AW)will never be thirsty. ³⁶ But ^(AX)I said to you that you have indeed seen Me, and yet you do not believe. ^37 (AY)Everything that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I certainly will not cast out. ³⁸ For ^(AZ)I have come down from heaven, ^(BA)not to do My own will, but ^(BB)the will of Him who ^(BC)sent Me. ³⁹ And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of ^(BD)everything that He has given Me I will ^(BE)lose nothing, but will ^(BF)raise it up on the last day. ⁴⁰ For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who ^(BG)sees the Son and ^(BH)believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will ^(BI)raise him up on the last day.”

Words to the Jews

^41 (BJ)So then the Jews were complaining about Him because He said, “I am the bread that ^(BK)came down out of heaven.” ⁴² And they were saying, “^(BL)Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother ^(BM)we know? How does He now say, ‘^(BN)I have come down out of heaven’?” ⁴³ Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop complaining among yourselves. ⁴⁴ No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me ^(BO)draws him; and I will ^(BP)raise him up on the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written ^(BQ)in the Prophets: ‘^(BR)And they shall all be ^(BS)taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. ^46 (BT)Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who believes ^(BU)has eternal life. ^48 (BV)I am the bread of life. ^49 (BW)Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. ⁵⁰ This is the bread that ^(BX)comes down out of heaven, so that anyone may eat from it and ^(BY)not die. ^51 (BZ)I am the living bread that ^(CA)came down out of heaven; if anyone eats from this bread, ^(CB)he will live forever; and the bread which I will give ^(CC)for the life of the world also is ^(CD)My flesh.”

^52 (CE)Then the Jews ^(CF)began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” ⁵³ So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of ^(CG)the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. ⁵⁴ The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will ^(CH)raise him up on the last day. ⁵⁵ For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. ⁵⁶ The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood ^(CI)remains in Me, and I in him. ⁵⁷ Just as the ^(CJ)living Father ^(CK)sent Me, and I live because of the Father, the one who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that ^(CL)came down out of heaven, not as ^(CM)the fathers ate and died; the one who eats this bread ^(CN)will live forever.”

Words to the Disciples

⁵⁹ These things He said ^(CO)in the synagogue as He taught ^(CP)in Capernaum.

⁶⁰ So then many of His ^(CQ)disciples, when they heard this, said, “^(CR)This statement is very ^[k]unpleasant; who can listen to it?” ⁶¹ But Jesus, ^(CS)aware that His disciples were complaining about this, said to them, “Is this ^[l](CT)offensive to you? ⁶² What then if you see ^(CU)the Son of Man ^(CV)ascending to where He was before? ^63 (CW)It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh provides no benefit; ^(CX)the words that I have spoken to you are spirit, and are life. ⁶⁴ But there are ^(CY)some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus ^(CZ)knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and ^(DA)who it was who would ^[m]betray Him. ⁶⁵ And He was saying, “For this reason I have ^(DB)told you that no one can come to Me unless ^(DC)it has been granted him from the Father.”

Peter’s Confession of Faith

⁶⁶ As a result of this many of His ^(DD)disciples ^(DE)left, and would no longer walk with Him. ⁶⁷ So Jesus said to ^(DF)the twelve, “You do not want to leave also, do you?” ^68 (DG)Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have ^(DH)words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ And we have already believed and have come to know that You are ^(DI)the Holy One of God.” ⁷⁰ Jesus answered them, “^(DJ)Did I Myself not choose you, ^(DK)the twelve? And yet one of you is ^(DL)a devil.” ⁷¹ Now He meant Judas ^(DM)the son of Simon Iscariot; for he, ^(DN)one of ^(DO)the twelve, ^[n]was going to betray Him.