2 Kings 1

New International Version

The Lord’s Judgment on Ahaziah

1 After Ahab’s death, Moab^(A) rebelled against Israel. ²Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers,^(B) saying to them, “Go and consult Baal-Zebub,^(C) the god of Ekron,^(D) to see if I will recover^(E) from this injury.”

³But the angel^(F) of the Lord said to Elijah^(G) the Tishbite, “Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel^(H) that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?’ ⁴Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘You will not leave^(I) the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!’” So Elijah went.

⁵When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, “Why have you come back?”

⁶“A man came to meet us,” they replied. “And he said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, “This is what the Lord says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not leave^(J) the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!”’”

⁷The king asked them, “What kind of man was it who came to meet you and told you this?”

⁸They replied, “He had a garment of hair^[a]^(K) and had a leather belt around his waist.”

The king said, “That was Elijah the Tishbite.”

⁹Then he sent^(L) to Elijah a captain^(M) with his company of fifty men. The captain went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, “Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down!’”

¹⁰Elijah answered the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!” Then fire^(N) fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men.

¹¹At this the king sent to Elijah another captain with his fifty men. The captain said to him, “Man of God, this is what the king says, ‘Come down at once!’”

¹²“If I am a man of God,” Elijah replied, “may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!” Then the fire of God fell from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.

¹³So the king sent a third captain with his fifty men. This third captain went up and fell on his knees before Elijah. “Man of God,” he begged, “please have respect for my life^(O) and the lives of these fifty men, your servants! ¹⁴See, fire has fallen from heaven and consumed the first two captains and all their men. But now have respect for my life!”

¹⁵The angel^(P) of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid^(Q) of him.” So Elijah got up and went down with him to the king.

¹⁶He told the king, “This is what the Lord says: Is it because there is no God in Israel for you to consult that you have sent messengers^(R) to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Because you have done this, you will never leave^(S) the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!” ¹⁷So he died,^(T) according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken.

Because Ahaziah had no son, Joram^[b]^(U) succeeded him as king in the second year of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. ¹⁸As for all the other events of Ahaziah’s reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?

Footnotes

2 Kings 1:8 Or He was a hairy man
2 Kings 1:17 Hebrew Jehoram, a variant of Joram

Amos 9

New International Version

Israel to Be Destroyed

9 I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said:

“Strike the tops of the pillars
    so that the thresholds shake.
Bring them down on the heads^(A) of all the people;
    those who are left I will kill with the sword.
Not one will get away,
    none will escape.^(B)
²Though they dig down to the depths below,^(C)
    from there my hand will take them.
Though they climb up to the heavens above,^(D)
    from there I will bring them down.^(E)
³Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,^(F)
    there I will hunt them down and seize them.^(G)
Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea,^(H)
    there I will command the serpent^(I) to bite them.^(J)
⁴Though they are driven into exile by their enemies,
    there I will command the sword^(K) to slay them.

“I will keep my eye on them
for harm^(L) and not for good.^(M)”^(N)

⁵The Lord, the Lord Almighty—
he touches the earth and it melts,^(O)
    and all who live in it mourn;
the whole land rises like the Nile,
    then sinks like the river of Egypt;^(P)
⁶he builds his lofty palace^[a]^(Q) in the heavens
    and sets its foundation^[b] on the earth;
he calls for the waters of the sea
    and pours them out over the face of the land—
    the Lord is his name.^(R)

⁷“Are not you Israelites
    the same to me as the Cushites^[c]?”^(S)
declares the Lord.
“Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt,
    the Philistines^(T) from Caphtor^[d]^(U)
    and the Arameans from Kir?^(V)

⁸“Surely the eyes of the Sovereign Lord
    are on the sinful kingdom.
I will destroy^(W) it
    from the face of the earth.
Yet I will not totally destroy
    the descendants of Jacob,”
declares the Lord.^(X)
⁹“For I will give the command,
    and I will shake the people of Israel
    among all the nations
as grain^(Y) is shaken in a sieve,^(Z)
    and not a pebble will reach the ground.^(AA)
¹⁰All the sinners among my people
    will die by the sword,^(AB)
all those who say,
    ‘Disaster will not overtake or meet us.’^(AC)

Israel’s Restoration

¹¹“In that day

“I will restore David’s^(AD) fallen shelter^(AE)—
    I will repair its broken walls
    and restore its ruins^(AF)—
    and will rebuild it as it used to be,^(AG)
¹²so that they may possess the remnant of Edom^(AH)
    and all the nations that bear my name,^[e]^(AI)”
declares the Lord, who will do these things.^(AJ)

¹³“The days are coming,”^(AK) declares the Lord,

“when the reaper^(AL) will be overtaken by the plowman^(AM)
    and the planter by the one treading^(AN) grapes.
New wine^(AO) will drip from the mountains
    and flow from all the hills,^(AP)
¹⁴    and I will bring^(AQ) my people Israel back from exile.^[f]^(AR)

“They will rebuild the ruined cities^(AS) and live in them.
    They will plant vineyards^(AT) and drink their wine;
    they will make gardens and eat their fruit.^(AU)
¹⁵I will plant^(AV) Israel in their own land,^(AW)
    never again to be uprooted^(AX)
    from the land I have given them,”^(AY)

says the Lord your God.^(AZ)

Footnotes

Amos 9:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
Amos 9:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Amos 9:7 That is, people from the upper Nile region
Amos 9:7 That is, Crete
Amos 9:12 Hebrew; Septuagint so that the remnant of people / and all the nations that bear my name may seek me
Amos 9:14 Or will restore the fortunes of my people Israel

Psalm 119:89-120

New International Version

ל Lamedh

⁸⁹Your word, Lord, is eternal;^(A)
    it stands firm in the heavens.
⁹⁰Your faithfulness^(B) continues through all generations;^(C)
    you established the earth, and it endures.^(D)
⁹¹Your laws endure^(E) to this day,
    for all things serve you.^(F)
⁹²If your law had not been my delight,^(G)
    I would have perished in my affliction.^(H)
⁹³I will never forget^(I) your precepts,
    for by them you have preserved my life.^(J)
⁹⁴Save me,^(K) for I am yours;
    I have sought out your precepts.^(L)
⁹⁵The wicked are waiting to destroy me,^(M)
    but I will ponder your statutes.^(N)
⁹⁶To all perfection I see a limit,
    but your commands are boundless.^(O)

מ Mem

⁹⁷Oh, how I love your law!^(P)
    I meditate^(Q) on it all day long.
⁹⁸Your commands are always with me
    and make me wiser^(R) than my enemies.
⁹⁹I have more insight than all my teachers,
    for I meditate on your statutes.^(S)
¹⁰⁰I have more understanding than the elders,
    for I obey your precepts.^(T)
¹⁰¹I have kept my feet^(U) from every evil path
    so that I might obey your word.^(V)
¹⁰²I have not departed from your laws,^(W)
    for you yourself have taught^(X) me.
¹⁰³How sweet are your words to my taste,
    sweeter than honey^(Y) to my mouth!^(Z)
¹⁰⁴I gain understanding^(AA) from your precepts;
    therefore I hate every wrong path.^(AB)

נ Nun

¹⁰⁵Your word is a lamp^(AC) for my feet,
    a light^(AD) on my path.
¹⁰⁶I have taken an oath^(AE) and confirmed it,
    that I will follow your righteous laws.^(AF)
¹⁰⁷I have suffered much;
    preserve my life,^(AG) Lord, according to your word.
¹⁰⁸Accept, Lord, the willing praise of my mouth,^(AH)
    and teach me your laws.^(AI)
¹⁰⁹Though I constantly take my life in my hands,^(AJ)
    I will not forget^(AK) your law.
¹¹⁰The wicked have set a snare^(AL) for me,
    but I have not strayed^(AM) from your precepts.
¹¹¹Your statutes are my heritage forever;
    they are the joy of my heart.^(AN)
¹¹²My heart is set^(AO) on keeping your decrees
    to the very end.^[a]^(AP)

ס Samekh

¹¹³I hate double-minded people,^(AQ)
    but I love your law.^(AR)
¹¹⁴You are my refuge and my shield;^(AS)
    I have put my hope^(AT) in your word.
¹¹⁵Away from me,^(AU) you evildoers,
    that I may keep the commands of my God!
¹¹⁶Sustain me,^(AV) my God, according to your promise,^(AW) and I will live;
    do not let my hopes be dashed.^(AX)
¹¹⁷Uphold me,^(AY) and I will be delivered;^(AZ)
    I will always have regard for your decrees.^(BA)
¹¹⁸You reject all who stray^(BB) from your decrees,
    for their delusions come to nothing.
¹¹⁹All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross;^(BC)
    therefore I love your statutes.^(BD)
¹²⁰My flesh trembles^(BE) in fear of you;^(BF)
    I stand in awe^(BG) of your laws.