Elijah’s Journey to Horeb

19 Ahab told Jezebel^(A) everything that Elijah had done^(B) and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.^{(C) 2} So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods punish me and do so severely^(D) if I don’t make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow!”

³ Then Elijah became afraid^[a](E) and immediately ran for his life.^(F) When he came to Beer-sheba^(G) that belonged to Judah, he left his servant there,^{(H) 4} but he went on a day’s journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree^(I) and prayed that he might die. He said, “I have had enough! Lord, take my life,^(J) for I’m no better than my fathers.” ⁵ Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree.

Suddenly, an angel touched him.^(K) The angel told him, “Get up and eat.” ⁶ Then he looked, and there at his head was a loaf of bread baked over hot stones, and a jug of water.^(L) So he ate and drank and lay down again. ⁷ Then the angel of the Lord^(M) returned for a second time and touched him. He said, “Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.” ⁸ So he got up, ate, and drank. Then on the strength from that food, he walked 40 days and 40 nights^(N) to Horeb, the mountain of God.^{(O) 9} He entered a cave^(P) there and spent the night.

Elijah’s Encounter with the Lord

Then the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”^(Q)

¹⁰ He replied, “I have been very zealous^(R) for the Lord God of Hosts, but the Israelites have abandoned Your covenant,^(S) torn down Your altars,^(T) and killed Your prophets^(U) with the sword. I alone am left,^(V) and they are looking for me to take my life.”^(W)

¹¹ Then He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the Lord’s presence.”^(X)

At that moment, the Lord passed by.^(Y) A great and mighty wind^(Z) was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake,^(AA) but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake there was a fire,^(AB) but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper.^{(AC) 13} When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle^(AD) and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

Suddenly, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

¹⁴ “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Hosts,” he replied, “but the Israelites have abandoned Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they’re looking for me to take my life.”^(AE)

¹⁵ Then the Lord said to him, “Go and return by the way you came to the Wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, you are to anoint Hazael^(AF) as king over Aram. ¹⁶ You are to anoint Jehu^(AG) son of Nimshi as king over Israel and Elisha^(AH) son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. ¹⁷ Then Jehu will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Hazael,^(AI) and Elisha will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Jehu.^{(AJ) 18} But I will leave 7,000 in Israel^(AK)—every knee that has not bowed to Baal^(AL) and every mouth that has not kissed him.”^(AM)

Elisha’s Appointment as Elijah’s Successor

¹⁹ Elijah left there and found Elisha^(AN) son of Shaphat as he was plowing. Twelve teams of oxen were in front of him, and he was with the twelfth team. Elijah walked by him and threw his mantle over him.^{(AO) 20} Elisha left the oxen, ran to follow Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and mother, and then I will follow you.”^(AP)

“Go on back,” he replied, “for what have I done to you?”

²¹ So he turned back from following him, took the team of oxen, and slaughtered them. With the oxen’s wooden yoke and plow,^(AQ) he cooked the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he left, followed Elijah, and served him.^(AR)

James Martyred and Peter Jailed

12 About that time King Herod cruelly attacked some who belonged to the church, ² and he killed James,^(A) John’s brother, with the sword. ³ When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter too, during the days of Unleavened Bread.^{(B) 4} After the arrest, he put him in prison and assigned four squads of four soldiers each to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover. ⁵ So Peter was kept in prison, but prayer was being made earnestly to God for him by the church.

Peter Rescued

⁶ On the night before Herod was to bring him out for execution, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while the sentries in front of the door guarded the prison. ⁷ Suddenly an angel of the Lord^(C) appeared, and a light shone in the cell. Striking Peter on the side, he woke him up and said, “Quick, get up!” Then the chains fell off his wrists.^{(D) 8} “Get dressed,” the angel told him, “and put on your sandals.” And he did so. “Wrap your cloak around you,” he told him, “and follow me.” ⁹ So he went out and followed, and he did not know that what took place through the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.^{(E) 10} After they passed the first and second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened to them by itself. They went outside and passed one street, and immediately the angel left him.^(F)

¹¹ Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from Herod’s grasp and from all that the Jewish people expected.”^{(G) 12} When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark,^[a](H) where many had assembled and were praying. ¹³ He knocked at the door in the gateway, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer. ¹⁴ She recognized Peter’s voice, and because of her joy, she did not open the gate but ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gateway.

¹⁵ “You’re crazy!” they told her. But she kept insisting that it was true. Then they said, “It’s his angel!”^{(I) 16} Peter, however, kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astounded.

¹⁷ Motioning to them with his hand^(J) to be silent, he explained to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. “Report these things to James^[b](K) and the brothers,” he said. Then he departed and went to a different place.

¹⁸ At daylight, there was a great commotion^[c] among the soldiers as to what could have become of Peter. ¹⁹ After Herod had searched and did not find him, he interrogated the guards and ordered their execution. Then Herod went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.^(L)

Herod’s Death

²⁰ He had been very angry with the Tyrians and Sidonians.^[d] Together they presented themselves before him. They won over Blastus, who was in charge of the king’s bedroom, and through him they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food from the king’s country.^{(M) 21} So on an appointed day, dressed in royal robes and seated on the throne, Herod delivered a public address to them. ²² The assembled people began to shout, “It’s the voice of a god and not of a man!” ²³ At once an angel of the Lord^(N) struck him because he did not give the glory to God, and he became infected with worms and died.^(O)

Psalm 136

God’s Love Is Eternal