Naboth's Vineyard

21 Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in ^(A)Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. ² And after this Ahab said to Naboth, ^(B)“Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house, and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.” ³ But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid ^(C)that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” ⁴ And Ahab ^(D)went into his house vexed and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and would eat no food.

⁵ But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “Why is your spirit so vexed that you eat no food?” ⁶ And he said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money, or else, if it please you, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ And he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” ⁷ And Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now govern Israel? Arise and eat bread and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

^8 (E)So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to ^(F)the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city. ⁹ And she wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people. ¹⁰ And set two ^(G)worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, ^(H)‘You have cursed^[a] God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.” ¹¹ And the men of his city, ^(I)the elders and the leaders who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. As it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, ^12 (J)they proclaimed a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people. ¹³ And the two worthless men came in and sat opposite him. And the worthless men brought a charge against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones. ¹⁴ Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.”

¹⁵ As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” ¹⁶ And as soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

The Lord Condemns Ahab

^17 (K)Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ¹⁸ “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in ^(L)Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. ¹⁹ And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Have you killed and also taken possession?”’ And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: ^(M)“In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your own blood.”’”

²⁰ Ahab said to Elijah, ^(N)“Have you found me, O my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you, because ^(O)you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord. ²¹ Behold, I will bring disaster upon you. I will utterly burn you up, and ^(P)will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. ²² And I will make your house like ^(Q)the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like ^(R)the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the anger to which you have provoked me, and because you ^(S)have made Israel to sin. ²³ And of Jezebel the Lord also said, ^(T)‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel within ^(U)the walls of Jezreel.’ ^24 (V)Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat.”

Ahab's Repentance

²⁵ (^(W)There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. ²⁶ He acted very abominably in going after ^(X)idols, as ^(Y)the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the people of Israel.)

²⁷ And when Ahab heard those words, he ^(Z)tore his clothes and ^(AA)put sackcloth on his flesh and ^(AB)fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly. ²⁸ And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ²⁹ “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; ^(AC)but in his son's days I will bring the disaster upon his house.”

Ahab and the False Prophets

22 For three years Syria and Israel continued without war. ^2 (AD)But in the third year ^(AE)Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. ³ And the king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know that ^(AF)Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we keep quiet and do not take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?” ⁴ And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, ^(AG)“I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”

⁵ And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the Lord.” ⁶ Then the king of Israel ^(AH)gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” ⁷ But ^(AI)Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?” ⁸ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” ⁹ Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.” ¹⁰ Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes, at the threshing floor ^(AJ)at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹¹ And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself ^(AK)horns of iron and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘With these ^(AL)you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.’” ¹² And all the prophets prophesied so and said, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”

Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab

¹³ And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” ¹⁴ But Micaiah said, ^(AM)“As the Lord lives, ^(AN)what the Lord says to me, that I will speak.” ¹⁵ And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?” And he answered him, “Go up and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” ¹⁶ But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” ¹⁷ And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, ^(AO)as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’” ¹⁸ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ^(AP)“Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” ¹⁹ And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: ^(AQ)I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, ^(AR)and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left; ²⁰ and the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another. ²¹ Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ ²² And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be ^(AS)a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’ ²³ Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the Lord has declared disaster for you.”

²⁴ Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near ^(AT)and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “How did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?” ²⁵ And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go ^(AU)into an inner chamber to hide yourself.” ²⁶ And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah, and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son, ²⁷ and say, ‘Thus says the king, ^(AV)“Put this fellow in prison and feed him meager rations of bread and water, ^(AW)until I come in peace.”’” ²⁸ And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, ^(AX)the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, ^(AY)“Hear, all you peoples!”

Ahab Killed in Battle

²⁹ So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. ³⁰ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ^(AZ)“I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. ³¹ Now the king of Syria had commanded ^(BA)the thirty-two captains of his chariots, “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.” ³² And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is surely the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out. ³³ And when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. ³⁴ But a certain man drew his bow at random^[b] and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, ^(BB)for I am wounded.” ³⁵ And the battle continued that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians, until at evening he died. And the blood of the wound flowed into the bottom of the chariot. ³⁶ And about sunset a cry went through the army, “Every man to his city, and every man to his country!”

³⁷ So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria. ³⁸ And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes washed themselves in it, ^(BC)according to the word of the Lord that he had spoken. ³⁹ Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did, and ^(BD)the ivory house that he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ⁴⁰ So Ahab slept with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.

Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah

^41 (BE)Jehoshaphat the son of ^(BF)Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. ⁴² Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. ^43 (BG)He walked in all the way of Asa his father. He did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. Yet ^(BH)the high places were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. ^44 (BI)Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.

⁴⁵ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he showed, and how he warred, are they not written ^(BJ)in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ⁴⁶ And from the land he exterminated the remnant ^(BK)of the male cult prostitutes who remained in the days of his father Asa.

^47 (BL)There was no king in Edom; a deputy was king. ⁴⁸ Jehoshaphat made ^(BM)ships of Tarshish to go to ^(BN)Ophir for gold, but they did not go, for the ships were wrecked at ^(BO)Ezion-geber. ⁴⁹ Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships,” but Jehoshaphat was not willing. ^50 (BP)And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place.

Ahaziah Reigns in Israel

⁵¹ Ahaziah the son of Ahab ^(BQ)began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel. ⁵² He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord ^(BR)and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. ^53 (BS)He served Baal and worshiped him and provoked the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger ^(BT)in every way that his father had done.

Teaching About Divorce

10 ^(A)And he left there and went ^(B)to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again. And again, as was his custom, he taught them.

² And Pharisees came up and in order ^(C)to test him asked, ^(D)“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” ³ He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” ⁴ They said, ^(E)“Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” ⁵ And Jesus said to them, “Because of your ^(F)hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. ⁶ But ^(G)from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them ^(H)male and female.’ ^7 (I)‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife,^{[a] 8} and ^(J)the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. ^9 (K)What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

¹⁰ And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. ¹¹ And he said to them, ^(L)“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, ¹² and ^(M)if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

Let the Children Come to Me

^13 (N)And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples ^(O)rebuked them. ¹⁴ But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, ^(P)“Let the children come to me; ^(Q)do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. ^15 (R)Truly, I say to you, whoever does not ^(S)receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” ¹⁶ And ^(T)he took them in his arms and blessed them, ^(U)laying his hands on them.

The Rich Young Man

^17 (V)And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and ^(W)knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to ^(X)inherit eternal life?” ¹⁸ And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ^(Y)‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” ²⁰ And he said to him, “Teacher, ^(Z)all these I have kept from my youth.” ²¹ And Jesus, ^(AA)looking at him, ^(AB)loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, ^(AC)sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have ^(AD)treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” ^22 (AE)Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

²³ And Jesus ^(AF)looked around and said to his disciples, ^(AG)“How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter ^(AH)the kingdom of God!” ²⁴ And the disciples ^(AI)were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, ^(AJ)“Children, ^(AK)how difficult it is^[b] to enter ^(AL)the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter ^(AM)the kingdom of God.” ²⁶ And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him,^[c] “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷ Jesus ^(AN)looked at them and said, ^(AO)“With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” ²⁸ Peter began to say to him, “See, ^(AP)we have left everything and followed you.” ²⁹ Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, ^(AQ)there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and ^(AR)for the gospel, ³⁰ who will not receive a hundredfold ^(AS)now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, ^(AT)with persecutions, and in ^(AU)the age to come eternal life. ³¹ But ^(AV)many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

^32 (AW)And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and ^(AX)Jesus was walking ahead of them. And ^(AY)they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, ³³ saying, “See, ^(AZ)we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will ^(BA)condemn him to death and ^(BB)deliver him over to the Gentiles. ³⁴ And they will ^(BC)mock him and ^(BD)spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And ^(BE)after three days he will rise.”

The Request of James and John

^35 (BF)And James and John, ^(BG)the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us ^(BH)whatever we ask of you.” ³⁶ And he said to them, ^(BI)“What do you want me to do for you?” ³⁷ And they said to him, “Grant us ^(BJ)to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, ^(BK)in your glory.” ³⁸ Jesus said to them, ^(BL)“You do not know what you are asking. Are you able ^(BM)to drink the cup that I drink, or ^(BN)to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” ³⁹ And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, ^(BO)“The cup that I drink ^(BP)you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, ^(BQ)you will be baptized, ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, ^(BR)but it is for those for whom it has been ^(BS)prepared.” ⁴¹ And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. ^42 (BT)And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles ^(BU)lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ⁴³ But ^(BV)it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,^{[d] 44} and whoever would be first among you must be ^(BW)slave^[e] of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but ^(BX)to serve, and ^(BY)to give his life as a ransom for ^(BZ)many.”

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus

^46 (CA)And they came to Jericho. And ^(CB)as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, ^(CC)a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. ⁴⁷ And when he heard that it was ^(CD)Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸ And many ^(CE)rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁹ And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, ^(CF)“Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” ⁵⁰ And throwing off his ^(CG)cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. ⁵¹ And Jesus said to him, ^(CH)“What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, ^(CI)“Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” ⁵² And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; ^(CJ)your faith has ^(CK)made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.