Psalm 77^[a]

For the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm.

Elijah Taken Up to Heaven

2 When the Lord was about to take^(A) Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind,^(B) Elijah and Elisha^(C) were on their way from Gilgal.^{(D) 2} Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here;^(E) the Lord has sent me to Bethel.”

But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.”^(F) So they went down to Bethel.

⁶ Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here;^(A) the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.”^(B)

And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.”^(C) So the two of them walked on.

⁷ Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. ⁸ Elijah took his cloak,^(D) rolled it up and struck^(E) the water with it. The water divided^(F) to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry^(G) ground.

⁹ When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”

“Let me inherit a double^(H) portion of your spirit,”^(I) Elisha replied.

¹⁰ “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”

¹¹ As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire^(J) and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven^(K) in a whirlwind.^{(L) 12} Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots^(M) and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore^(N) it in two.

¹³ Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. ¹⁴ He took the cloak^(O) that had fallen from Elijah and struck^(P) the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.

Freedom in Christ

5 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.^(A) Stand firm,^(B) then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.^(C)

Life by the Spirit

¹³ You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free.^(A) But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh^[a];^(B) rather, serve one another^(C) humbly in love. ¹⁴ For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^{[b](D) 15} If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit,^(E) and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.^{(F) 17} For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.^(G) They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever^[c] you want.^{(H) 18} But if you are led by the Spirit,^(I) you are not under the law.^(J)

¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality,^(K) impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.^(L) I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.^(M)

²² But the fruit^(N) of the Spirit is love,^(O) joy, peace,^(P) forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control.^(Q) Against such things there is no law.^{(R) 24} Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh^(S) with its passions and desires.^{(T) 25} Since we live by the Spirit,^(U) let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Samaritan Opposition

⁵¹ As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven,^(A) Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.^{(B) 52} And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan^(C) village to get things ready for him; ⁵³ but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ When the disciples James and John^(D) saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them^[a]?”^{(E) 55} But Jesus turned and rebuked them. ⁵⁶ Then he and his disciples went to another village.

The Cost of Following Jesus^(F)

⁵⁷ As they were walking along the road,^(G) a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

⁵⁸ Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man^(H) has no place to lay his head.”

⁵⁹ He said to another man, “Follow me.”^(I)

But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”^(J)

⁶¹ Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”^(K)

⁶² Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”