The Widow’s Oil

4 Now a woman of the wives of ^(A)the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord; and ^(B)the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” ² So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except ^(C)a jar of oil.” ³ Then he said, “Go, ^[a]borrow containers ^[b]elsewhere for yourself, empty containers from all your neighbors—do not get too few. ⁴ Then you shall come in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour into all these containers; and you shall set aside what is full.” ⁵ So she left him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they began bringing the containers to her, and she poured the oil. ⁶ When ^(D)the containers were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another container.” But he said to her, “There ^[c]are no more containers.” Then the oil stopped. ⁷ So she came and told ^(E)the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”

The Shunammite Woman

⁸ Now a day came when Elisha went over to ^(F)Shunem, where there was a ^[d]prominent woman, and she urged him to eat ^[e]food. And so it was, as often as he passed by, that he turned in there to eat ^[f]food. ⁹ And she said to her husband, “Behold now, I am aware that this is a holy ^(G)man of God passing by us repeatedly. ¹⁰ Please, let’s ^(H)make a little walled upper room, and let’s set up a bed for him there, and a table, a chair, and a lampstand; then it shall be, when he comes to us, that he can turn in there.”

¹¹ Now ^[g]one day he came there, and turned in to the upper room and ^[h]rested. ¹² Then he said to his servant ^(I)Gehazi, “Call this Shunammite.” And when he had called her, she stood before him. ¹³ And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Behold, you have taken trouble for us with all this ^[i]care; what can I do for you? ^[j]Would you like me to speak for you to the king or to the commander of the army?’” But she ^[k]answered, “I live among my own people.” ¹⁴ So he said, “What then is to be done for her?” And Gehazi ^[l]answered, “It is a fact that she has no son, and her husband is old.” ¹⁵ He then said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. ¹⁶ Then he said, “^(J)At this season ^[m]next year, you are going to embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, you man of God, ^(K)do not lie to your servant.”

¹⁷ Now the woman conceived and gave birth to a son at that season ^[n]the next year, as Elisha had told her.

The Shunammite’s Son

¹⁸ When the child was grown, the day came that he went out to his father, to the reapers. ¹⁹ And he said to his father, “My head, my head!” And his father said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” ²⁰ When he had carried him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her ^[o]lap until noon, and then he died. ²¹ And she went up and ^(L)laid him on the bed of ^(M)the man of God, and shut the door behind him and left. ²² Then she called to her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so that I may run to the man of God and return.” ²³ But he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither ^(N)new moon nor Sabbath.” So she just said, “It will be fine.” ²⁴ Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Drive the donkey and go on; do not slow down ^[p]the pace for me unless I tell you.” ²⁵ So she went on and came to the man of God at ^(O)Mount Carmel.

When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Behold, that person there is the Shunammite. ²⁶ Please run now to meet her and say to her, ‘Is it going well for you? Is it going well for your husband? Is it going well for the child?’” Then she ^[q]answered, “It is going well.” ²⁷ But she came to the man of God ^(P)at the hill and took hold of his feet. And Gehazi came up to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for her soul is ^[r]troubled within her; and the Lord has concealed it from me and has not informed me.” ²⁸ Then she said, “Did I ask for a son from my lord? Did I not say, ‘^(Q)Do not give me false hope’?”

²⁹ Then he said to Gehazi, “^[s](R)Get ready and ^(S)take my staff in your hand, and go; if you meet anyone, do not ^[t](T)greet him, and if anyone ^[u]greets you, do not reply to him. And ^(U)lay my staff on the boy’s face.” ³⁰ The mother of the boy said, “^(V)As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So he got up and followed her. ³¹ Then Gehazi went on ahead of them and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or ^[v]response. So he returned to meet him and informed him, saying, “The boy ^(W)has not awakened.”

³² When Elisha entered the house, behold the boy was dead, laid on his bed. ³³ So he entered and ^(X)shut the door behind them both, and he prayed to the Lord. ³⁴ Then ^(Y)he got up on the bed and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, his hands on his hands, and he bent down on him; and the flesh of the child became warm. ³⁵ Then he returned and walked in the house back and forth once, and went up and ^(Z)bent down on him; and the boy sneezed seven times, then the boy opened his eyes. ³⁶ And he called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her. And when she came to him, he said, “Pick up your son.” ³⁷ Then she came in and fell at his feet and bowed down to the ground, and ^(AA)she picked up her son and left.

Paul Defends His Apostleship

11 I wish that you would ^(A)bear with me in a little ^(B)foolishness; but ^[a]indeed you are bearing with me. ² For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I ^(C)betrothed you to one husband, to ^(D)present you as a pure virgin to Christ. ³ But I am afraid that, as the ^(E)serpent deceived Eve by his trickery, your minds will be led astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ. ⁴ For if ^[b]one comes and preaches ^(F)another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a ^(G)different spirit which you have not received, or a ^(H)different gospel which you have not accepted, this you ^(I)tolerate ^(J)very well! ⁵ For I consider myself ^(K)not in the least inferior to the ^[c]most eminent apostles. ⁶ But even if I am ^(L)unskilled in speech, yet I am not so in ^(M)knowledge; in fact, in every way we have ^(N)made this evident to you in all things.

⁷ Or ^(O)did I commit a sin by humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the ^(P)gospel of God to you ^(Q)without charge? ⁸ I robbed other churches by ^(R)taking wages from them to serve you; ⁹ and when I was present with you and was in need, I was ^(S)not a burden to anyone; for when ^(T)the brothers came from ^(U)Macedonia they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from ^(V)being a burden to you, ^[d]and will continue to do so. ^10 (W)As the truth of Christ is in me, ^(X)this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of ^(Y)Achaia. ¹¹ Why? ^(Z)Because I do not love you? ^(AA)God knows that I do!

¹² But what I am doing I will also continue to do, ^(AB)so that I may eliminate the opportunity from those who want an opportunity to be ^[e]regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting. ¹³ For such men are ^(AC)false apostles, ^(AD)deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ No wonder, for even ^(AE)Satan disguises himself as an ^(AF)angel of light. ¹⁵ Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, ^(AG)whose end will be according to their deeds.

^16 (AH)Again I say, let no one think me foolish; but if you do, receive me even as foolish, so that I also may boast a little. ¹⁷ What I am saying, I am not saying ^[f](AI)as the Lord would, but as ^(AJ)in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting. ¹⁸ Since ^(AK)many boast ^(AL)according to the flesh, I will boast also. ¹⁹ For you, ^(AM)being so wise, tolerate the foolish gladly. ²⁰ For you tolerate it if anyone ^(AN)enslaves you, if anyone ^(AO)devours you, if anyone ^(AP)takes advantage of you, if anyone ^(AQ)exalts himself, if anyone ^(AR)hits you in the face. ²¹ To my ^(AS)shame I must say that we have been ^(AT)weak by comparison.

But in whatever respect anyone else ^(AU)is bold—I am ^(AV)speaking in foolishness—I too am bold. ²² Are they ^(AW)Hebrews? ^(AX)So am I. Are they ^(AY)Israelites? ^(AZ)So am I. Are they ^[g](BA)descendants of Abraham? ^(BB)So am I. ²³ Are they ^(BC)servants of Christ?—I am speaking as if insane—I more so; in ^(BD)far more labors, in ^(BE)far more imprisonments, ^[h](BF)beaten times without number, often in danger of ^(BG)death. ²⁴ Five times I received from the Jews ^(BH)thirty-nine lashes. ²⁵ Three times I was ^(BI)beaten with rods, once I was ^(BJ)stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent adrift at sea. ²⁶ I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my ^(BK)countrymen, dangers from the ^(BL)Gentiles, dangers in the ^(BM)city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, dangers among ^(BN)false brothers; ²⁷ I have been in ^(BO)labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in ^(BP)hunger and thirst, often ^(BQ)without food, in cold and ^[i](BR)exposure. ²⁸ Apart from such ^[j]external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for ^(BS)all the churches. ²⁹ Who is ^(BT)weak without my being weak? Who is ^[k]led into sin ^[l]without my intense concern?

³⁰ If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my ^(BU)weakness. ³¹ The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, ^(BV)He who is blessed forever, ^(BW)knows that I am not lying. ³² In ^(BX)Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was ^(BY)guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me, ³³ and I was let down in a basket ^(BZ)through a window ^[m]in the wall, and so escaped his hands.

Naaman Is Healed

5 Now ^(A)Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man ^[a]in the view of his master, and eminent, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man was also a valiant warrior, but afflicted with leprosy. ² Now the Arameans had gone out ^(B)in bands and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and she ^[b]waited on Naaman’s wife. ³ And she said to her mistress, “If only my master were ^[c]with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy.” ⁴ And ^[d]Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “The girl who is from the land of Israel spoke such and such.” ⁵ Then the king of Aram said, “Go ^[e]now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he departed and ^(C)took with him ten ^[f]talents of silver, six thousand ^[g]shekels of gold, and ten ^(D)changes of clothes.

⁶ And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, ^[h]which said, “And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, so that you may cure him of his leprosy.” ⁷ But when the king of Israel read the letter, ^(E)he tore his clothes and said, “^(F)Am I God, to kill and to keep alive, that this man is sending word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? But ^(G)consider now, and see how he is seeking ^[i]a quarrel against me.”

⁸ Now it happened, when Elisha ^(H)the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent word to the king, saying, “Why did you tear your clothes? Just have him come to me, and he shall learn that there is a prophet in Israel.” ⁹ So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots, and stood at the doorway of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰ And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “^(I)Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.” ¹¹ But Naaman was furious and went away, and he said, “Behold, I ^[j]thought, ‘He will certainly come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the site and cure the ^[k]leprosy.’ ¹² Are ^[l]Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, not better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and ^(J)went away in a rage. ^13 (K)Then his servants approached and spoke to him, ^[m]saying, “^(L)My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” ¹⁴ So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, in accordance with the word of the man of God; and ^(M)his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and ^(N)he was clean.

Gehazi’s Greed

¹⁵ Then he returned to the man of God ^[n]with all his company, and came and stood before him. And he said, “Behold now, ^(O)I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; so please ^(P)accept a ^[o]gift from your servant now.” ¹⁶ But he said, “^(Q)As surely as the Lord lives, before whom I stand, ^(R)I will accept nothing.” And he urged him to accept it, but he refused. ¹⁷ Then Naaman said, “If not, please let your servant be given two mules’ load of ^(S)earth; for your servant will no longer offer a burnt offering nor a sacrifice to other gods, but to the Lord. ¹⁸ Regarding this matter may the Lord forgive your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and ^(T)he leans on my hand and I bow down in the house of Rimmon, when I bow down in the house of Rimmon, may the Lord please forgive your servant in this matter.” ¹⁹ He said to him, “^(U)Go in peace.” So he went some distance from him.

²⁰ But ^(V)Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, ^[p]thought, “Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean, ^[q]by not accepting from his hand what he brought. ^(W)As the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him.” ²¹ So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he came down from the chariot to meet him and said, “Is everything well?” ²² And he said, “^(X)Everything is well. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Behold, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from ^(Y)the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and ^(Z)two changes of clothes.’” ²³ Naaman said, “^(AA)Be sure to take two talents.” And he urged him, and tied up two talents of silver in two bags with two changes of clothes, and gave them to two of his servants; and they carried them before him. ²⁴ When he came to the ^[r]hill, he took them from their hand and ^(AB)deposited them in the house, and he sent the men away, and they departed. ²⁵ But he went in and stood before his master. And Elisha said to him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” And he said, “^(AC)Your servant went nowhere.”

²⁶ Then he said to him, “Did my heart not go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? ^(AD)Is it a time to accept money and to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, sheep, oxen, and male and female slaves? ²⁷ Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your ^[s]descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence ^(AE)afflicted with leprosy, as white as snow.

Simon Carries the Cross

^26 (A)And when they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of ^(B)Cyrene, as he was coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.

²⁷ Now following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were ^[a](C)mourning and grieving for Him. ²⁸ But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. ²⁹ For behold, days are coming when they will say, ‘^(D)Blessed are those who cannot bear, and the wombs that have not given birth, and the breasts that have not nursed.’ ³⁰ Then they will begin to ^(E)say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ ³¹ For if they do these things ^[b]when the tree is green, what will happen ^[c]when it is dry?”

^32 (F)Now two others, who were criminals, were also being led away to be put to death with Him.

The Crucifixion

^33 (G)And when they came to the place called ^[d]The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. ³⁴ [^[e]But Jesus was saying, “^(H)Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”] ^(I)And they cast lots, dividing His garments among themselves. ³⁵ And the people stood by, watching. And even the ^(J)rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; ^(K)let Him save Himself if this is the ^[f]Christ of God, His Chosen One.” ³⁶ The soldiers also ridiculed Him, coming up to Him, ^(L)offering Him sour wine, ³⁷ and saying, “^(M)If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” ³⁸ Now there was also an inscription above Him, “^(N)THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

^39 (O)One of the criminals who were hanged there was ^[g]hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the ^[h]Christ? ^(P)Save Yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other responded, and rebuking him, said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving ^[i]what we deserve for our crimes; but this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” ⁴³ And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in ^(Q)Paradise.”

^44 (R)It was now about ^[j](S)the sixth hour, and darkness came over the entire land until ^[k]the ninth hour, ^45 [l]because the sun stopped shining; and ^(T)the veil of the temple was torn ^[m]in two. ⁴⁶ And Jesus, ^(U)crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, ^(V)into Your hands I entrust My spirit.” And having said this, He ^[n]died. ^47 (W)Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began ^(X)praising God, saying, “This man was in fact ^[o]innocent.” ⁴⁸ And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, after watching what had happened, began to return home, ^[p](Y)beating their chests. ^49 (Z)And all His acquaintances and ^(AA)the women who accompanied Him from Galilee were standing at a distance, seeing these things.