Elijah Escapes from Jezebel

19 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had ^(A)executed all the prophets with the sword. ² Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, ^(B)“So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” ³ And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

⁴ But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a ^[a]broom tree. And he ^(C)prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”

⁵ Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an ^[b]angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.” ⁶ Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on ^[c]coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. ⁷ And the ^[d]angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.” ⁸ So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and ^(D)forty nights as far as ^(E)Horeb, the mountain of God.

⁹ And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

¹⁰ So he said, ^(F)“I have been very ^(G)zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and ^(H)killed Your prophets with the sword. ^(I)I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”

God’s Revelation to Elijah

¹¹ Then He said, “Go out, and stand ^(J)on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord ^(K)passed by, and ^(L)a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; ¹² and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire ^[e]a still small voice.

¹³ So it was, when Elijah heard it, that ^(M)he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. ^(N)Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

^14 (O)And he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”

¹⁵ Then the Lord said to him: “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; ^(P)and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. ¹⁶ Also you shall anoint ^(Q)Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And ^(R)Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. ^17 (S)It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will ^(T)kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, ^(U)Elisha will kill. ^18 (V)Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, ^(W)and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

Elisha Follows Elijah

¹⁹ So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw his ^(X)mantle on him. ²⁰ And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, ^(Y)“Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.”

And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?”

²¹ So Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and ^(Z)boiled their flesh, using the oxen’s equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant.

Ahab Defeats the Syrians

20 Now ^(AA)Ben-Hadad the king of Syria gathered all his forces together; thirty-two kings were with him, with horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged ^(AB)Samaria, and made war against it. ² Then he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, “Thus says Ben-Hadad: ³ ‘Your silver and your gold are mine; your loveliest wives and children are mine.’ ”

⁴ And the king of Israel answered and said, “My lord, O king, just as you say, I and all that I have are yours.”

⁵ Then the messengers came back and said, “Thus speaks Ben-Hadad, saying, ‘Indeed I have sent to you, saying, “You shall deliver to me your silver and your gold, your wives and your children”; ⁶ but I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house and the houses of your servants. And it shall be, that whatever is ^[f]pleasant in your eyes, they will put it in their hands and take it.’ ”

⁷ So the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, “Notice, please, and see how this man seeks trouble, for he sent to me for my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold; and I did not deny him.”

⁸ And all the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen or consent.”

⁹ Therefore he said to the messengers of Ben-Hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you sent for to your servant the first time I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’ ”

And the messengers departed and brought back word to him.

¹⁰ Then Ben-Hadad sent to him and said, ^(AC)“The gods do so to me, and more also, if enough dust is left of Samaria for a handful for each of the people ^[g]who follow me.”

¹¹ So the king of Israel answered and said, “Tell him, ‘Let not the one who puts on his armor ^(AD)boast like the one who takes it off.’ ”

¹² And it happened when Ben-Hadad heard this message, as he and the kings were ^(AE)drinking at the ^[h]command post, that he said to his servants, “Get ready.” And they got ready to attack the city.

¹³ Suddenly a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel, saying, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, ^(AF)I will deliver it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’ ”

¹⁴ So Ahab said, “By whom?”

And he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘By the young leaders of the provinces.’ ”

Then he said, “Who will set the battle in order?”

And he answered, “You.”

¹⁵ Then he mustered the young leaders of the provinces, and there were two hundred and thirty-two; and after them he mustered all the people, all the children of Israel—seven thousand.

¹⁶ So they went out at noon. Meanwhile Ben-Hadad and the thirty-two kings helping him were ^(AG)getting drunk at the command post. ¹⁷ The young leaders of the provinces went out first. And Ben-Hadad sent out a patrol, and they told him, saying, “Men are coming out of Samaria!” ¹⁸ So he said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; and if they have come out for war, take them alive.”

¹⁹ Then these young leaders of the provinces went out of the city with the army which followed them. ²⁰ And each one killed his man; so the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them; and Ben-Hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with the cavalry. ²¹ Then the king of Israel went out and attacked the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter.

²² And the prophet came to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself; take note, and see what you should do, ^(AH)for ^[i]in the spring of the year the king of Syria will come up against you.”

The Syrians Again Defeated

²³ Then the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than they. ²⁴ So do this thing: Dismiss the kings, each from his position, and put captains in their ^[j]places; ²⁵ and you shall muster an army like the army ^[k]that you have lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain; surely we will be stronger than they.”

And he listened to their voice and did so.

²⁶ So it was, in the spring of the year, that Ben-Hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to ^(AI)Aphek to fight against Israel. ²⁷ And the children of Israel were mustered and given provisions, and they went against them. Now the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, while the Syrians filled the ^(AJ)countryside.

²⁸ Then a ^(AK)man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The Lord is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys,” therefore ^(AL)I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’ ” ²⁹ And they encamped opposite each other for seven days. So it was that on the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel killed one hundred thousand foot soldiers of the Syrians in one day. ³⁰ But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; then a wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the men who were left.

And Ben-Hadad fled and went into the city, into an inner chamber.

Ahab’s Treaty with Ben-Hadad

³¹ Then his servants said to him, “Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please, let us ^(AM)put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will spare your life.” ³² So they wore sackcloth around their waists and put ropes around their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’ ”

And he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”

³³ Now the men were watching closely to see whether any sign of mercy would come from him; and they quickly grasped at this word and said, “Your brother Ben-Hadad.”

So he said, “Go, bring him.” Then Ben-Hadad came out to him; and he had him come up into the chariot.

³⁴ So Ben-Hadad said to him, ^(AN)“The cities which my father took from your father I will restore; and you may set up marketplaces for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.”

Then Ahab said, “I will send you away with this treaty.” So he made a treaty with him and sent him away.

Ahab Condemned

³⁵ Now a certain man of ^(AO)the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor ^(AP)by the word of the Lord, “Strike me, please.” And the man refused to strike him. ³⁶ Then he said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, surely, as soon as you depart from me, a lion shall kill you.” And as soon as he left him, ^(AQ)a lion found him and killed him.

³⁷ And he found another man, and said, “Strike me, please.” So the man struck him, inflicting a wound. ³⁸ Then the prophet departed and waited for the king by the road, and disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes. ³⁹ Now ^(AR)as the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and there, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, ‘Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, ^(AS)your life shall be for his life, or else you shall ^[l]pay a talent of silver.’ ⁴⁰ While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.”

Then the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it.”

⁴¹ And he hastened to take the bandage away from his eyes; and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets. ⁴² Then he said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ^(AT)‘Because you have let slip out of your hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.’ ”

⁴³ So the king of Israel ^(AU)went to his house sullen and displeased, and came to Samaria.

Prayer for Relief from Adversaries^(A)

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. ^(B)To bring to remembrance.

The Name of the Lord Is a Strong Tower

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

14 “Let ^(A)not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many ^[a]mansions; if it were not so, ^[b]I would have told you. ^(B)I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, ^(C)I will come again and receive you to Myself; that ^(D)where I am, there you may be also. ⁴ And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

^5 (E)Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”

⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am ^(F)the way, ^(G)the truth, and ^(H)the life. ^(I)No one comes to the Father ^(J)except through Me.

The Father Revealed

^7 (K)“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

⁸ Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”

⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? ^(L)He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Do you not believe that ^(M)I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you ^(N)I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. ¹¹ Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, ^(O)or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

The Answered Prayer

^12 (P)“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. ^13 (Q)And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be ^(R)glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ^[c]ask anything in My name, I will do it.

Jesus Promises Another Helper

^15 (S)“If you love Me, ^[d]keep My commandments. ¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and ^(T)He will give you another ^[e]Helper, that He may abide with you forever— ^17 (U)the Spirit of truth, ^(V)whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you ^(W)and will be in you. ^18 (X)I will not leave you orphans; ^(Y)I will come to you.

Indwelling of the Father and the Son

¹⁹ “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but ^(Z)you will see Me. ^(AA)Because I live, you will live also. ²⁰ At that day you will know that ^(AB)I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. ^21 (AC)He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and ^[f]manifest Myself to him.”

^22 (AD)Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”

²³ Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, ^(AE)and We will come to him and make Our home with him. ²⁴ He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and ^(AF)the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

The Gift of His Peace

²⁵ “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. ²⁶ But ^(AG)the ^[g]Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will ^(AH)send in My name, ^(AI)He will teach you all things, and bring to your ^(AJ)remembrance all things that I said to you. ^27 (AK)Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. ²⁸ You have heard Me ^(AL)say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because ^[h]I said, ^(AM)‘I am going to the Father,’ for ^(AN)My Father is greater than I.

²⁹ “And ^(AO)now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe. ³⁰ I will no longer talk much with you, ^(AP)for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has ^(AQ)nothing in Me. ³¹ But that the world may know that I love the Father, and ^(AR)as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.