Healing of the Water

¹⁹ The people of the city said to Elisha, “Look, our lord, this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water is bad and the land is unproductive.”

²⁰ “Bring me a new bowl,” he said, “and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him.

²¹ Then he went out to the spring and threw^(A) the salt into it, saying, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.’” ²² And the water has remained pure^(B) to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken.

Elisha Is Jeered

²³ From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some boys came out of the town and jeered^(C) at him. “Get out of here, baldy!” they said. “Get out of here, baldy!” ²⁴ He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse^(D) on them in the name^(E) of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys. ²⁵ And he went on to Mount Carmel^(F) and from there returned to Samaria.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus^(A)

²⁷ Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium^(B) and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. ²⁸ They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,^{(C) 29} and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.^{(D) 30} They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.^{(E) 31} After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.^(F)

The Crucifixion of Jesus^(G)

³² As they were going out,^(H) they met a man from Cyrene,^(I) named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.^{(J) 33} They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”).^{(K) 34} There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall;^(L) but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. ³⁵ When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.^{(M) 36} And sitting down, they kept watch^(N) over him there. ³⁷ Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.

³⁸ Two rebels were crucified with him,^(O) one on his right and one on his left. ³⁹ Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads^{(P) 40} and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days,^(Q) save yourself!^(R) Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”^{(S) 41} In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ⁴² “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel!^(T) Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe^(U) in him. ⁴³ He trusts in God. Let God rescue him^(V) now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”