3 Now Jehoram, Ahab’s son, became king of Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, and he reigned twelve years. ² He did what was evil in Adonai’s eyes, though not like his father and his mother, for he put away the pillar of Baal that his father had made. ³ Nevertheless, he clung to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, not turning away from them.

Moab Revolts Against Israel

⁴ Now King Mesha of Moab was a sheep-breeder, and he used to render as tribute to the king of Israel the wool of 100,000 lambs and 100,000 rams. ⁵ But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. ⁶ So King Jehoram marched out from Samaria at that time and mustered all Israel. ⁷ Then he sent word to King Jehoshaphat of Judah saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you march with me against Moab to battle?”

Jehoshaphat replied, “I will march. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” ⁸ And he added, “By which route will we go up?”

He answered, “The route of the wilderness of Edom.”

⁹ So the king of Israel, the king of Judah and the king of Edom marched. They kept circling roundabout for seven days, but there was no water for the army or for the animals that followed them. ¹⁰ “Ah!” the king of Israel cried, “Adonai has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab!”

Elisha Foretells Moab’s Defeat

¹¹ But Jehoshaphat said, “Isn’t there a prophet of Adonai here, that we may inquire of Adonai by him?”

One of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said, “Elisha son of Shaphat, who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah, is here.”

¹² Jehoshaphat replied, “The word of Adonai is with him.” So the king of Israel, Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. ¹³ But Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What do I have to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother!”

“No!” the king of Israel said to him, “For has Adonai brought these three kings together only to deliver them into the hand of Moab?”

¹⁴ Elisha said, “As Adonai-Tzva’ot lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I respect the presence of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, I would not look at you or even see you. ¹⁵ Now, bring me a musician.”

Now as the musician played, the hand of Adonai came upon him, ¹⁶ and he said, “Thus says Adonai: Make this valley full of trenches. ¹⁷ For thus says Adonai: You will not see wind nor will you see rain, yet this valley will be filled with water. So you will drink, both you and your cattle and your animals. ¹⁸ Yet this is an easy thing in Adonai’s eyes—for He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand. ¹⁹ Then you must strike every fortified city and every major town, cut down every good tree, stop up all the springs of water and ruin every good field with stones.”

²⁰ Then it came to pass in the morning, about the time of offering up the sacrifice, behold—water was flowing from the direction of Edom—so that the water covered the land.

²¹ Meanwhile the Moabites heard that the kings had marched to fight against them. So they gathered themselves together, all that were able to put on armor and older, and stood at the border. ²² When they rose up early in the morning and the sun was shining upon the water, the Moabites saw the water from a distance as red as blood! ²³ So they said, “This is blood! The kings have surely clashed swords and slain each other. Now, to the spoil, Moab!”

²⁴ But when they came near Israel’s camp, the Israelites rose up and struck the Moabites, who fled before them. Then they invaded, slaughtering the Moabites. ²⁵ They destroyed the cities. Also each man threw his stone onto every good field and covered it. They stopped up all the springs of water and cut down all the good trees—until nothing was left except Kir-hareseth with the stones of its wall. However, the slingers encircled it and struck it down.

²⁶ When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him 700 swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not. ²⁷ Then he took his firstborn son who should have become king in his place and offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. And there was great wrath against Israel that they withdrew from him and returned to their own land.

Miracle of Multiplying Oil

4 Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha saying, “Your servant my husband is dead—you know that your servant feared Adonai. Now the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.”

² “What should I do for you?” Elisha asked her. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?”

She replied, “Your handmaid has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.”

³ Then he said, “Go borrow for yourself vessels from all your neighbors—empty jars—not just a few. ⁴ Then go inside and shut the door behind you and behind your sons, and pour into all those vessels, setting aside what is full.”

⁵ So she left him and shut the door behind her and behind her sons. They kept bringing the vessels to her and she kept pouring. ⁶ When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.”

But he said to her, “There isn’t another vessel.” So the oil stopped.

⁷ Then she came and told the man of God. So he said, “Go sell the oil and pay your debt, then you and your sons can live on the rest.”

Shunammite Hospitality

⁸ One day when Elisha passed through Shunem, where there was a prominent woman who persuaded him to eat some food. And so it was, whenever he passed through, he would stop for a meal. ⁹ Then she said to her husband, “Behold now, I realize that this man who often passes through is a holy man of God. ¹⁰ Please, let’s make a little walled room on the roof, and let’s put there a bed, a table, a chair, and a lampstand for him. Then whenever he comes to us, he can stay there.”

¹¹ One day he came there, and retired to the upper chamber and lay down there. ¹² Then he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite woman.” When he had called her, she stood before him. ¹³ He said to him, “Tell her: Behold, you have gone to all this trouble for us. What can be done for you? Can something be communicated to the king or to the commander of the army for you?”

She answered, “I am living among my own people.”

¹⁴ So he asked, “Then what should be done for her?”

Then Gehazi answered, “In fact, she has no son, and her husband is old.”

¹⁵ “Call her,” he said. And when he had called her, she stood in the doorway. ¹⁶ Then he said, “At this season next year, you will be embracing a son.”

But she said, “No, my lord, do not lie to your handmaid, man of God.”

¹⁷ Nevertheless, the woman conceived and bore a son during that season the following year, just as Elisha had told her.

⁸ Now a man was sitting in Lystra without strength in his feet, lame from birth, who had never walked. ⁹ This man heard Paul speaking. When Paul looked intently at him and saw that he had faith to be healed, ¹⁰ he said with a loud voice, “Stand right up! On your feet!” And the man leaped up and began to walk around!

¹¹ Now the crowd, seeing what Paul had done, lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have become like men and come down to us!” ¹² And they began calling Barnabas “Zeus” and Paul “Hermes” (because he was the main speaker).

¹³ The priest of Zeus, whose temple was before the front gate of the city, brought bulls and garlands; he wanted to offer a sacrifice with the people. ¹⁴ But when the emissaries Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their clothes and rushed out among the crowd, crying out ¹⁵ and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We too are human, just like you! We proclaim the Good News to you, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. ^{[a] 16} In past generations He allowed all the nations to go their own ways. ^{[b] 17} Yet He did not leave Himself without a witness—He did good by giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with joy and gladness.” ^{[c] 18} Even saying these things, they barely restrained the crowd from sacrificing to them.

¹⁹ But Jewish people came from Antioch and Iconium; and after they won the crowd over and stoned Paul, they were dragging him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. ²⁰ But while the disciples surrounded him, he got up and went back into the city. On the next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe. ²¹ After proclaiming the Good News to that city and making many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch. ²² They were strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to persevere in faith, and saying, “It is through many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God.” ²³ When they had handpicked elders for them in every community, and prayed with fasting, they placed them in the care of the Lord—in whom they had put their trust.

²⁴ Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphyllia. ²⁵ After speaking the message in Perga, they went down to Attalia. ²⁶ From there they sailed back to Antioch (where they had been entrusted to the gracious care of God for the work now completed). ²⁷ When they arrived and gathered together Messiah’s community, they began to report all that God had done in helping them and that He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. ²⁸ And they stayed quite awhile with the disciples.

Protection from the Wicked

Psalm 140