[a]The other was named [b](A)Eliezer, for he said, “(B)The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 18:4 Lit The name of the other was
  2. Exodus 18:4 Heb El-ezer; i.e. my God is help

11 (A)Saul hurled the spear for he thought, “I will [a]pin David to the wall.” But David [b]escaped from his presence twice.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 18:11 Lit strike David and the wall
  2. 1 Samuel 18:11 Lit turned about

10 (A)Saul tried to [a]pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, so that he [b]stuck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 19:10 Lit strike David and the wall
  2. 1 Samuel 19:10 Lit struck

Elijah Flees from Jezebel

19 Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and [a](A)how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “(B)So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your [b]life as the [c]life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” And he [d]was afraid and arose and ran for his [e]life and came to (C)Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a [f]juniper tree; and (D)he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take my [g]life, for I am not better than my fathers.” He lay down and slept under a [h]juniper tree; and behold, there was (E)an angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat.” Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. The angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.” So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food (F)forty days and forty nights to (G)Horeb, the mountain of God.

Elijah at Horeb

Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, (H)the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He said, “(I)I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, (J)torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And (K)I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

11 So He said, “(L)Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by! And (M)a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks 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 After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire (N)a sound of a gentle blowing. 13 When Elijah heard it, (O)he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, (P)a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 Then he said, “(Q)I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

15 The Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, (R)you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram; 16 and (S)Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and (T)Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. 17 It shall come about, the (U)one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu (V)shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death. 18 (W)Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not (X)kissed him.”

19 So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah passed over to him and threw (Y)his mantle on him. 20 He left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Please (Z)let me kiss my father and my mother, then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” 21 So he returned from following him, and took the pair of oxen and sacrificed them and (AA)boiled their flesh with the implements of the oxen, and gave it to the people and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah and ministered to him.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 19:1 Lit all about how
  2. 1 Kings 19:2 Lit soul
  3. 1 Kings 19:2 Lit soul
  4. 1 Kings 19:3 Reading of many mss; Heb text may read saw
  5. 1 Kings 19:3 Lit soul
  6. 1 Kings 19:4 Or broom-tree
  7. 1 Kings 19:4 Lit soul
  8. 1 Kings 19:5 Or broom-tree

The Axe Head Recovered

Now (A)the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Behold now, the place before you where we are living is too limited for us. Please let us go to the Jordan and each of us take from there a beam, and let us make a place there for ourselves where we may live.” So he said, “Go.” Then one said, “Please be willing to go with your servants.” And he [a]answered, “I shall go.” So he went with them; and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. But as one was felling a beam, [b]the axe head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, my master! For it was borrowed.” Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And when he showed him the place, (B)he cut off a stick and threw it in there, and made the iron float. He said, “Take it up for yourself.” So he put out his hand and took it.

The Arameans Plot to Capture Elisha

Now the king of Aram was warring against Israel; and he [c]counseled with his servants saying, “In such and such a place shall be my camp.” (C)The man of God sent word to the king of Israel saying, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Arameans are coming down there.” 10 The king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God had told him; thus he warned him, so that he guarded himself there, [d]more than once or twice.

11 Now the heart of the king of Aram was enraged over this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you tell me which of us is for the king of Israel?” 12 One of his servants said, “No, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” 13 So he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and take him.” And it was told him, saying, “Behold, he is in (D)Dothan.” 14 He sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city.

15 Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! [e]What shall we do?” 16 So he [f]answered, “(E)Do not fear, for (F)those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “(G)O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of (H)horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18 When they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Strike this [g]people with blindness, I pray.” So He (I)struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 19 Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, nor is this the city; follow me and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he brought them to Samaria.

20 When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, “O (J)Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” So the Lord opened their eyes and they saw; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 21 Then the king of Israel when he saw them, said to Elisha, “(K)My father, shall I [h]kill them? Shall I [i]kill them?” 22 He [j]answered, “You shall not [k]kill them. Would you [l](L)kill those you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? (M)Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.” 23 So he prepared a great feast for them; and when they had eaten and drunk he sent them away, and they went to their master. And (N)the marauding bands of Arameans did not come again into the land of Israel.

The Siege of Samaria—Cannibalism

24 Now it came about after this, that (O)Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his army and went up and besieged Samaria. 25 There was a great (P)famine in Samaria; and behold, they besieged it, until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a fourth of a [m]kab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver. 26 As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!” 27 He said, “[n]If the Lord does not help you, from where shall I help you? From the threshing floor, or from the wine press?” 28 And the king said to her, “(Q)What [o]is the matter with you?” And she [p]answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ 29 (R)So we boiled my son and ate him; and I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him’; but she has hidden her son.” 30 When the king heard the words of the woman, (S)he tore his clothes—now he was passing by on the wall—and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth [q]beneath on his [r]body. 31 Then he said, “May (T)God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat [s]remains on him today.”

32 Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and (U)the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man from his presence; but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, “Do you (V)see how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and [t]hold the door shut against him. Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?” 33 While he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him and he said, “(W)Behold, this evil is from the Lord; why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 6:3 Lit said
  2. 2 Kings 6:5 Lit as for the iron, it fell
  3. 2 Kings 6:8 Lit took counsel
  4. 2 Kings 6:10 Lit not once or twice
  5. 2 Kings 6:15 Lit How
  6. 2 Kings 6:16 Lit said
  7. 2 Kings 6:18 Lit nation
  8. 2 Kings 6:21 Lit smite
  9. 2 Kings 6:21 Lit smite
  10. 2 Kings 6:22 Lit said
  11. 2 Kings 6:22 Lit smite
  12. 2 Kings 6:22 Lit smite
  13. 2 Kings 6:25 I.e. One kab equals approx 2 qts
  14. 2 Kings 6:27 Lit No, let the Lord help you
  15. 2 Kings 6:28 Lit to you
  16. 2 Kings 6:28 Lit said
  17. 2 Kings 6:30 Lit within
  18. 2 Kings 6:30 Lit flesh
  19. 2 Kings 6:31 Lit stands
  20. 2 Kings 6:32 Lit press him with the door

10 Who (A)gives salvation to kings,
Who (B)rescues David His servant from the evil sword.

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