Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab

18 Now Jehoshaphat ^(A)had great riches and honor, ^(B)and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. ^2 (C)After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. ³ Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?” He answered him, “I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war.”

⁴ And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the Lord.” ⁵ Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king.” ⁶ But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?” ⁷ 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 always evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” ⁸ Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.” ⁹ Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes. And they were sitting at the threshing floor ^(D)at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹⁰ And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.’” ¹¹ 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.”

¹² 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.” ¹³ But Micaiah said, ^(E)“As the Lord lives, ^(F)what my God says, that I will speak.” ¹⁴ And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And he answered, “Go up and triumph; they will be given into your hand.” ¹⁵ 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?” ¹⁶ And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, ^(G)as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’” ¹⁷ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” ¹⁸ And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: ^(H)I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. ¹⁹ And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another. ²⁰ Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’ ²¹ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be ^(I)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.’ ²² Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets. The Lord has declared disaster concerning you.”

²³ Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near ^(J)and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?” ²⁴ And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.” ²⁵ And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah and take him back to Amon ^(K)the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son, ²⁶ and say, ‘Thus says the king, ^(L)Put this fellow in prison and feed him with meager rations of bread and water until I return in peace.’” ²⁷ And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, ^(M)“Hear, all you peoples!”

The Defeat and Death of Ahab

²⁸ So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. ²⁹ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. ³⁰ Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.” ³¹ As soon as the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him; God drew them away from him. ³² For as soon as the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. ³³ But a certain man drew his bow at random^[a] 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, for I am wounded.” ³⁴ And the battle continued that day, and the king of Israel was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians until evening. Then at sunset he died.

How Long, O Lord?

A Psalm of ^(A)Asaph.

The Pharisees and Sadducees Demand Signs

16 ^(A)And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and ^(B)to test him ^(C)they asked him to show them ^(D)a sign from heaven. ² He answered them,^{[a] (E)}“When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ ³ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ ^(F)You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret ^(G)the signs of the times. ^4 (H)An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So ^(I)he left them and departed.

The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees

⁵ When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. ⁶ Jesus said to them, “Watch and ^(J)beware of ^(K)the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ⁷ And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.” ⁸ But ^(L)Jesus, aware of this, said, ^(M)“O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? ^9 (N)Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember ^(O)the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? ¹⁰ Or ^(P)the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? ¹¹ How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? ^(Q)Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ^12 (R)Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of ^(S)the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

^13 (T)Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ And they said, “Some say ^(U)John the Baptist, others say ^(V)Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter replied, ^(W)“You are ^(X)the Christ, ^(Y)the Son of ^(Z)the living God.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, ^(AA)“Blessed are you, ^(AB)Simon Bar-Jonah! For ^(AC)flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, ^(AD)but my Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you, ^(AE)you are Peter, and ^(AF)on this rock^[b] I will build my church, and ^(AG)the gates of ^(AH)hell^[c] shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹ I will give you ^(AI)the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and ^(AJ)whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed^[d] in heaven.” ^20 (AK)Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

^21 (AL)From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that ^(AM)he must go to Jerusalem and ^(AN)suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on ^(AO)the third day be raised. ²² And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord!^[e] This shall never happen to you.” ²³ But he turned and said to Peter, ^(AP)“Get behind me, Satan! You are ^(AQ)a hindrance^[f] to me. For you ^(AR)are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

²⁴ Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him ^(AS)deny himself and ^(AT)take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵ For ^(AU)whoever would save his life^[g] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ For ^(AV)what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or ^(AW)what shall a man give in return for his soul? ^27 (AX)For the Son of Man is going to come with ^(AY)his angels in the glory of his Father, and ^(AZ)then he will repay each person according to what he has done. ²⁸ Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not ^(BA)taste death ^(BB)until they see the Son of Man ^(BC)coming in his kingdom.”

The Transfiguration

17 ^(BD)And after six days Jesus took with him ^(BE)Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. ² And he was ^(BF)transfigured before them, and ^(BG)his face shone like the sun, and ^(BH)his clothes became white as light. ³ And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. ⁴ And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for ^(BI)Elijah.” ⁵ He was still speaking when, behold, ^(BJ)a bright cloud overshadowed them, and ^(BK)a voice from the cloud said, ^(BL)“This is my beloved Son,^[h] with whom I am well pleased; ^(BM)listen to him.” ⁶ When ^(BN)the disciples heard this, ^(BO)they fell on their faces and were terrified. ⁷ But Jesus came and ^(BP)touched them, saying, “Rise, and ^(BQ)have no fear.” ⁸ And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

^9 (BR)And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, ^(BS)“Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” ¹⁰ And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say ^(BT)that first Elijah must come?” ¹¹ He answered, “Elijah does come, and ^(BU)he will restore all things. ¹² But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but ^(BV)did to him whatever they pleased. ^(BW)So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” ^13 (BX)Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon

^14 (BY)And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, ¹⁵ said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has ^(BZ)seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. ¹⁶ And I brought him to your disciples, and ^(CA)they could not heal him.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered, “O faithless and ^(CB)twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? ^(CC)How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” ¹⁸ And Jesus ^(CD)rebuked the demon,^[i] and it^[j] came out of him, and ^(CE)the boy was healed instantly.^{[k] 19} Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” ²⁰ He said to them, ^(CF)“Because of your little faith. For ^(CG)truly, I say to you, ^(CH)if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, ^(CI)you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and ^(CJ)nothing will be impossible for you.”^[l]

Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection

^22 (CK)As they were gathering^[m] in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, ²³ and they will kill him, and he will be raised on ^(CL)the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.

The Temple Tax

^24 (CM)When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of ^(CN)the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” ²⁵ He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, ^(CO)“What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or ^(CP)tax? From their sons or from others?” ²⁶ And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. ²⁷ However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel.^[n] Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”

Who Is the Greatest?

18 ^(CQ)At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ² And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them ³ and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you ^(CR)turn and ^(CS)become like children, you ^(CT)will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ^4 (CU)Whoever humbles himself like this child is the ^(CV)greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

^5 (CW)“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, ⁶ but ^(CX)whoever causes one of these ^(CY)little ones who believe in me to sin,^[o] it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Temptations to Sin

⁷ “Woe to the world for ^(CZ)temptations to sin!^{[p] (DA)}For it is necessary that temptations come, ^(DB)but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! ^8 (DC)And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into ^(DD)the eternal fire. ^9 (DE)And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the ^(DF)hell^[q] of fire.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

¹⁰ “See that you do not despise ^(DG)one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven ^(DH)their angels always ^(DI)see the face of my Father who is in heaven.^{[r] 12 (DJ)}What do you think? ^(DK)If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? ¹³ And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. ¹⁴ So ^(DL)it is not the will of my^[s] Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

If Your Brother Sins Against You

^15 (DM)“If your brother sins against you, ^(DN)go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have ^(DO)gained your brother. ¹⁶ But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established ^(DP)by the evidence of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷ If he refuses to listen to them, ^(DQ)tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, ^(DR)let him be to you as ^(DS)a Gentile and ^(DT)a tax collector. ¹⁸ Truly, I say to you, ^(DU)whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed^[t] in heaven. ¹⁹ Again I say to you, if two of you ^(DV)agree on earth about anything they ask, ^(DW)it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are ^(DX)gathered in my name, ^(DY)there am I among them.”

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

²¹ Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often ^(DZ)will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? ^(EA)As many as seven times?” ²² Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.^[u]

²³ “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished ^(EB)to settle accounts with his servants.^{[v] 24} When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ^(EC)ten thousand ^(ED)talents.^{[w] 25 (EE)}And since he could not pay, his master ordered him ^(EF)to be sold, with his wife and ^(EG)children and all that he had, and payment to be made. ²⁶ So the servant^{[x] (EH)}fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ ²⁷ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and ^(EI)forgave him the debt. ²⁸ But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred ^(EJ)denarii,^[y] and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ ²⁹ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ ³⁰ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. ³¹ When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. ³² Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ^33 (EK)And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ ^34 (EL)And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers,^{[z] (EM)}until he should pay all his debt. ^35 (EN)So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother ^(EO)from your heart.”