Bible in 90 Days

The Reign of Omri in Israel

²¹ At that time, the people of Israel were divided into two parts: half of the people went after Tibni the son of Ginath to make him king, and the other half went after Omri. ²² The people who went after Omri overcame the people who went after Tibni the son of Ginath, so that he died and Omri became king.

²³ In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel for twelve years. He reigned in Tirzah six years, ²⁴ then bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver, fortified the hill, and called the name of the city Samaria that he built after Shemer, the owner of the hill. ²⁵ But Omri did evil in the eyes of Yahweh more than all who were before him. ²⁶ He went in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and in his sins that he caused Israel to sin by provoking Yahweh the God of Israel with their idols. ²⁷ The remainder of the acts of Omri that he did and his powerful deeds, are they not written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel? ²⁸ Omri slept with his ancestors,^[a] and he was buried in Samaria, and Ahab his son became king in his place.

The Reign of Ahab in Israel

²⁹ Now Ahab son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah. Ahab son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. ³⁰ But Ahab son of Omri did evil in the eyes of Yahweh more than all who were before him. ³¹ If it wasn’t enough that he went^[b] after the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he also took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal the king of the Sidonians. He went and served Baal and bowed down to him. ³² And he built an altar to Baal in the house of Baal which he had built in Samaria. ³³ Ahab also made the sacred pole, and he continued to provoke^[c] Yahweh the God of Israel more than all the kings of Israel who were before him. ³⁴ In his days, Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho; at the cost of Abiram his firstborn he laid its foundation, and at the cost of Segub his younger sibling, he set up its gates, according to the word of Yahweh which he spoke by the hand of Joshua the son of Nun.

The Prophet Elijah Arises

17 Elijah the Tishbite from Tishbe of Gilead said to Ahab, “As Yahweh lives,^[d] the God of Israel before whom I stand, there shall surely not be dew nor rain these years except by my command.”^{[e] 2} Then the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, ³ “Go from this place and turn to the east; you must hide yourself in the Wadi^[f] Kerith which faces the Jordan.^{[g] 4} It shall be that you shall drink from the wadi,^[h] and I have commanded the crows to sustain you there.” ⁵ So he went and did according to the word of Yahweh. He went and stayed in the Wadi^[i] Kerith which faces the Jordan.^{[j] 6} The crows were bringing bread and meat in the morning for him and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the wadi.^{[k] 7} It happened after a while^[l] that the wadi^[m] dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

⁸ Then the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, ⁹ “Get up and go to Zarephath which belongs to Sidon and stay there. Look, I have commanded a woman there, a widow, to sustain you.” ¹⁰ So he arose and went to Zarephath and came to the gate of the city. There was a widow woman gathering wood, so he called to her, and he said, “Please bring a little water for me in a vessel so that I can drink.” ¹¹ She went to fetch it, and he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” ¹² She said, “As Yahweh your God lives,^[n] surely I do not have a cake, but only a handful of flour^[o] in the jar and a little olive oil in the jug. Here I am gathering a few pieces of wood, and I will go and prepare it for me and my son, that we might eat it and die.” ¹³ Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go and do according to your word; only make for me a small bread cake from it first, and bring it out to me. Make it for yourself and for your son afterward. ¹⁴ For thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: ‘The jar of flour will not be emptied and the jug of olive oil will not run out until the day Yahweh gives rain on the surface of the earth.’” ¹⁵ So she went and did according to the word of Elijah; then both she and he ate with her household for many days. ¹⁶ The jar of flour was not emptied and the jug of olive oil did not run out, according to the word of Yahweh which he spoke by the hand of Elijah.

¹⁷ It happened after these things that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill; and his illness was very severe until there was no breath left in him. ¹⁸ She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me,^[p] O man of God, that you have come to me to make known my guilt and to cause my son to die?” ¹⁹ Then he said to her, “Give me your son.” He took him from her lap and carried him up to the upper room where he was staying, and he laid him on his bed. ²⁰ Then he called to Yahweh and said, “O Yahweh my God, are you also causing evil to come upon the widow with whom I am dwelling as an alien by causing her son to die?” ²¹ He stretched himself out on the child three times and called to Yahweh and said, “O Yahweh my God, please let the life of this child return within him.” ²² Yahweh listened to the voice of Elijah, and the life of the child returned within him, and he lived. ²³ Elijah then took the child and brought him down from the upper room to the house and gave him to his mother. Elijah said, “Look, your son is alive.” ²⁴ Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now this I know, that you are a man of God and the word of Yahweh in your mouth is truth.”

War between Elijah and the Prophets of Baal

18 It happened many days later that the word of Yahweh came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab so that I may give rain on the surface of the earth.” ² So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. ³ Ahab summoned Obadiah who was over the house. (Now Obadiah was fearing Yahweh greatly. ⁴ It had happened that when Jezebel killed the prophets of Yahweh, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties^[q] in the cave and sustained them with food and water.) ⁵ Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the wadis.^[r] Perhaps we may find green grass that we may keep horses and mules alive and that we might not lose any of the animals.” ⁶ So they divided the land for themselves in order to pass through it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.

⁷ It happened that Obadiah was on the way, and suddenly Elijah was there to meet him. When he recognized him, he fell on his face and said, “Is this you, my lord Elijah?” ⁸ He said to him, “I am. Go, say to your lord, ‘Elijah is here.’” ⁹ He said, “How have I sinned that you are giving your servant into the hand of Ahab to kill me? ¹⁰ As Yahweh your God lives,^[s] surely there is not a nation or a kingdom to which my lord has not sent me to seek you. If they would say, ‘He is not here,’ then he would make the kingdom or the nation swear that it could not find you. ¹¹ Now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your lord: “Elijah is here.”’ ¹² And it will happen that I will go from you and the Spirit of Yahweh will carry you up to where I do not know. Then I will come to tell Ahab, but he will not find you, and then he will kill me, even though your servant has feared Yahweh from my youth. ¹³ Has it not been told to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of Yahweh? I hid a hundred men of the prophets of Yahweh by fifties^[t] in the cave, and I sustained them with food and water. ¹⁴ Now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your lord: “Elijah is here,”’ and he will kill me.” ¹⁵ Elijah said, “As Yahweh of hosts lives,^[u] before whom I stand, I will certainly show myself to him today.”

¹⁶ So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and he told him, so Ahab went to meet Elijah. ¹⁷ When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is this you who throws Israel into confusion?” ¹⁸ He said, “I did not throw Israel into confusion; rather you and the house of your father have by forsaking the commands of Yahweh when you went after the Baals! ¹⁹ So then, send word and assemble all of Israel to me on Mount Carmel, with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at the table of Jezebel.”

²⁰ So Ahab sent word among the Israelites,^[v] and he assembled the prophets to Mount Carmel. ²¹ Elijah approached to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping over two opinions? If Yahweh is God, go after him; but if Baal, go after him.” But the people did not answer him a word. ²² Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of Yahweh, but the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty men. ²³ Let them give us two bulls, and let them choose for themselves one bull, cut him in pieces, and put it on the wood, but don’t let them start a fire on it. I will prepare the other bull and set it on the wood, but I will put no fire on it. ²⁴ Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Yahweh, and it shall be that the god who answers by fire, he is God.”^[w] Then all the people answered and said, “The word is good!”

²⁵ Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are the majority, and call on the name of your god, but don’t set fire under it.” ²⁶ So they took the bull that he allowed to them, prepared it, and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice and there was no answer, so they limped^[x] about the altar which they had made. ²⁷ It happened at noon that Elijah mocked them and said, “Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god! Perhaps he is meditating, or is using the bathroom,^[y] or is on a journey. Perhaps he is asleep and must wake up!” ²⁸ So they called out with a loud voice, and they cut themselves with swords and with spears as was their custom, until the blood poured out over them. ²⁹ It happened as noon passed, they raged until the time of the evening offering, but there was no voice, there was no answer, and no one paid attention.

³⁰ Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me,” so all the people came closer to him. He repaired the altar of Yahweh that had been destroyed. ³¹ Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of God came, saying, “Israel shall be your name.” ³² With them, he built an altar in the name of Yahweh, and he made a trench which would have held^[z] about two seahs of seed, all around the altar. ³³ And he arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces, and placed it on the wood.^[aa] Then he said, “Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” ³⁴ He said, “Do it again!” They did it again. He said, “Do it a third time!” So they did it a third time. ³⁵ The water went all around the altar, and the trench also was filled with water.

³⁶ It happened at the offering of the evening oblation, Elijah the prophet went near, and he said, “O Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel; let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and that I have done all of these things by your words. ³⁷ Answer me, O Yahweh, answer me; that this people may know that you, O Yahweh, are God and that you have turned their hearts back again.” ³⁸ Then the fire of Yahweh fell, and it consumed the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust; and the water which was in the trench it licked up! ³⁹ When all the people saw, they fell on their faces and said, “Yahweh, he is God! Yahweh, he is God!” ⁴⁰ Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; don’t let any man of them escape!” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the wadi^[ab] of Kishon and killed them there.

⁴¹ Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of the noise of rain.” ⁴² So Ahab went up to eat and to drink while Elijah went to the top of Carmel, bent down to the earth, and put his face between his knees. ⁴³ Then he said to his servant, “Please go and look in the direction of the sea.” So he went up and looked; then he said, “There is nothing.” Then he said, “Go back,” seven times. ⁴⁴ It happened that at the seventh time, he said, “Look, there is a small cloud, as the hand of a man, coming up from the sea.” Then Elijah said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Harness your horses and go down, lest the rain stop you.’” ⁴⁵ In no time^[ac] the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was heavy rain. Ahab rode and he went to Jezreel, ⁴⁶ but the hand of Yahweh was on Elijah; he girded up his loins and ran before Ahab as one comes to Jezreel.

Elijah Flees to Horeb

19 Then Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. ² Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “Thus may the gods do to me, and may they add to it, surely at this time tomorrow I will make your life as the life of one of them!” ³ Then he became afraid,^[ad] got up, and fled for his life.^[ae] He came to Beersheba which belongs to Judah, and he left his servant there. ⁴ Then he went into the wilderness one day’s journey, and he went and sat under a certain broom tree. Then he asked Yahweh that he might die,^[af] and he said, “It is enough now, Yahweh; take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.”^{[ag] 5} He lay down and fell asleep under a certain broom tree, and suddenly this angel was touching him and said to him, “Get up, eat!” ⁶ He looked, and behold, a bread cake on hot coals was near his head and a jar of water, so he ate and drank. Then he did it again and lay down. ⁷ The angel of Yahweh appeared a second time and touched him and said, “Get up, eat, for the journey is greater than you.” ⁸ So he got up, ate, drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights up to Horeb, the mountain of God.

Elijah Encounters Yahweh at Horeb

⁹ He came to the cave there and spent the night there. Suddenly the word of Yahweh came to him and asked him, “Elijah, what are you doing here?”^{[ah] 10} Then he said, “I have been very zealous for Yahweh the God of hosts, for the Israelites^[ai] have forsaken your covenant. They have demolished your altars, and they have killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left over, and they seek to take my life. ¹¹ He^[aj] said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before Yahweh.” Suddenly Yahweh was passing by, with a great and strong wind ripping the mountains and crushing rocks before Yahweh; but Yahweh was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake; but Yahweh was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake was a fire, but Yahweh was not in the fire. After the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. ¹³ It happened at the moment Elijah heard, he covered his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him and said, “Elijah, why are you here?”^{[ak] 14} He said, “I have been very zealous for Yahweh the God of Hosts, for the Israelites^[al] have forsaken your covenant, demolished your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword; I alone am left, and they seek to take my life!” ¹⁵ Then Yahweh said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. Go and anoint Hazael as king over Aram; ¹⁶ and Jehu son of Nimshi you shall anoint as king over Israel. You shall also anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-Meholah as prophet in your place. ¹⁷ It shall be that the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. ¹⁸ I will leave in Israel seven thousand, all of the knees that have not bowed down to Baal and all of the mouths that have not kissed him.”

¹⁹ So he went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him. When he and the twelve passed Elijah, he threw his cloak on him. ²⁰ Then he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will go after you.” Then he said, “Go, return, for what I have done to you?” ²¹ So he returned from after him, and he took a pair of oxen and slaughtered them, and with the yoke of the oxen he boiled the flesh and gave it to the people and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and served him.

Syrian-Israeli Conflicts: Ben-Hadad vs. Ahab of Israel

20 Ben-Hadad king of Aram gathered all of his army, and thirty-two kings were with him, and horses and chariots. He went up and laid siege against Samaria and fought with it. ² He sent messengers to the city to Ahab king of Israel. ³ He said to him, “Thus says Ben-Hadad: ‘Your silver and your gold are mine, and your women and your best sons are mine.’” ⁴ Then the king of Israel answered and said, “As your word, my master the king; I am yours, and all that is mine is yours.” ⁵ The messengers returned and said, “Thus says Ben-Hadad, saying, ‘I sent to you saying, “Your silver and gold are mine, and your women and your best sons you must give to me.” ⁶ So at this time tomorrow, I will send my servants to you that they might search your house and the houses of your servants. All the desire of your eyes they will lay hands on^[am] and take it away.’”

⁷ Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, “Please know and realize that this man is seeking trouble, for he sent to me for my women, my sons, my silver, and my gold, and I did not withhold anything from him.” ⁸ All of the elders and all of the people said to him, “Do not listen and do not consent.” ⁹ So he said to the messengers of Ben-Hadad, “Say to my lord the king, ‘All that you demanded from your servant at the first, I will do, but this thing I am not able to do.’” Then the messengers went and made a report to him.^{[an] 10} Then Ben-Hadad sent to him and said, “Thus may the gods do to me and thus may they add if the dust of Samaria is sufficient for the hollow of a hand for all of the people who are at my feet.” ¹¹ The king of Israel answered and said, “Tell him, ‘Let not him who girds on his armor boast as one who takes off his armor.’” ¹² It happened at the moment he heard this word, he and the kings were drinking in the tents.^[ao] He said to his servants, “Get ready to attack.” So they got ready to attack the city.

¹³ Suddenly a certain prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said, “Thus says Yahweh: ‘Have you seen all this great crowd? Behold, I am giving it into your hand today, that you may know that I am Yahweh.’” ¹⁴ Ahab said, “By whom?” And he said, “Thus says Yahweh: ‘By the servants of the commanders of the provinces.’” He asked, “Who will begin the battle?” And he said, “You.” ¹⁵ So he mustered the servants of the commanders of the provinces, and there were two hundred and thirty-two. After them he mustered all of the army, all the sons of Israel, seven thousand.

¹⁶ They went out at noon while Ben-Hadad was drinking himself drunk in the tents, he and the thirty-two kings helping him. ¹⁷ Then the servants of the commanders of the provinces went out first, and Ben-Hadad sent, and they reported to him, saying, “Men have come out from Samaria.” ¹⁸ Then he said, “If they have come out for peace, seize them alive; and if they have come out for war, seize them alive.” ¹⁹ But these had come out from the city, the servants of the commanders of the provinces, and the army that was after them. ²⁰ Each man killed his man, and the Arameans fled, so Israel pursued them, but Ben-Hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with cavalry. ²¹ The king of Israel went out and attacked the horses and the chariots and defeated Aram with a great blow.

²² Then the prophet came near to the king of Israel, and he said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself; consider well^[ap] what you should do, for the king of Aram is coming against you at the turn of the year.”

²³ The servants of the king of Aram said to him, “Their gods are gods of the mountains, therefore they were stronger than we.^[aq] Let us fight with them in the plain; surely we will be stronger than they. ²⁴ Do this thing: remove the kings each from his post, and put a governor in their place. ²⁵ You must muster an army for yourself as the army you have lost,^[ar] and horses and chariots as the horses and chariots you lost, then we will fight them in the plain. Surely we will be stronger than they.” So he listened to their voice and did so.

²⁶ It happened at the turning of the year that Ben-Hadad mustered Aram and went up to Aphek for the war with Israel. ²⁷ The Israelites^[as] had been mustered and provisioned, and they went to engage them. The Israelites^[at] encamped opposite them as two flocks of goats, but the Arameans filled the land. ²⁸ Then the man of God approached, and he spoke to the king of Israel, and he said, “Thus says Yahweh: ‘Because Aram has said, “Yahweh is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys,”’ I will give all this great crowd into your hand that you may know that I am Yahweh.” ²⁹ These encamped opposite for seven days, and it happened on the seventh day that the battle began,^[au] and the Israelites^[av] killed the Arameans, one hundred thousand infantry in one day. ³⁰ Then those who remained fled to Aphek, to the city, and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand men who had remained, so Ben-Hadad fled and went to the innermost rooms of the city.

³¹ Then his servants said to him, “Please now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are kings of mercy. Let us now put sackcloth on around our waists and ropes on our heads. Then let us go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will let you live.”^{[aw] 32} So they tied sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads. Then they went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’” And he said, “Is my brother still alive?” ³³ The men took this as a good omen and they quickly accepted it as true from him, and they said, “Your brother Ben-Hadad lives.” So he said, “Go, get him.” Ben-Hadad came out to him, and Ahab pulled him up on the chariot. ³⁴ Ben-Hadad said to him, “The cities which my father took from your father I shall return. You may set up streets with stalls for yourself in Damascus just as my father set up in Samaria.” Then Ahab said, “On these terms^[ax] I will let you go,” So he made a covenant with him and let him go.

³⁵ A certain man from the sons of the prophets said to his fellow countryman, “By the word of Yahweh, please strike me.” But the man refused to strike him.

³⁶ He said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh, look, as you now are going from me, a lion will kill you.” When he went from beside him, the lion found him and killed him. ³⁷ Then he found another man and said, “Strike me, please,” so the man struck him sharply and wounded him. ³⁸ Then the prophet went and waited^[ay] for the king along the road and disguised himself with a^[az] headband over his eyes. ³⁹ As the king was passing by, he called to the king and said, “Your servant went out in the thick of the battle, and suddenly a man turned and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man. If by any means he should be missed, it will be your life in his place, or you shall pay a talent of silver.’ ⁴⁰ It happened that your servant was busy here and there,^[ba] and he disappeared.”^[bb] Then the king said to him, “Your own judgment has been determined.” ⁴¹ He quickly removed the headband from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him, that he was from the prophets. ⁴² He said to him, “Thus says Yahweh: ‘Because you have let the man I devoted for destruction go from your hand, your life shall be in place of his life and your people in place of his people.’” ⁴³ Then the king of Israel went to his house, sullen and angry, and he came to Samaria.

The Vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite

21 It happened after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. ² Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard that it may be mine for a garden of vegetable plants, because it is near, beside my house, and I will give to you a better vineyard in place of it. If it is better in your eyes, I will give you the money of its price.” ³ Naboth said to Ahab, “Far be it from me from Yahweh that I should give the inheritance of my ancestors^[bc] to you.” ⁴ Then Ahab went to his house, sullen and angry because of the word that Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him when he had said, “I will not give to you the inheritance of my ancestors.”^[bd] So he lay on his bed, turned away his face, and would not eat any food.

⁵ Then Jezebel his wife came to him, and she said to him, “What is this, that your spirit is sullen and you are not eating food?” ⁶ Then he said to her, “When I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and asked him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money, or it you prefer, I will give you a vineyard in place of it,’ he said, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” ⁷ Jezebel his wife said to him, “Now, you rule^[be] over Israel. Get up, eat food, and let your heart be cheerful.^[bf] I myself will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

⁸ So she wrote letters in the name of Ahab and sealed them with his seal. She sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who were dwelling with Naboth in his city. ⁹ She had written in the letters, saying, “Call a fast and seat Naboth at the head of the people. ¹⁰ Seat two men, scoundrels,^[bg] opposite him. Let them witness against him saying, ‘You cursed God and the king.’ Then you shall bring him out and stone him so that he dies.” ¹¹ The men of his city and the elders and nobles who were living in his city did according to what Jezebel had sent to them, as was written in the letters which she had sent to them. ¹² They called a fast, and they seated Naboth at the head of the people. ¹³ Then the two men, scoundrels,^[bh] came, sat opposite him, and the scoundrels^[bi] witnessed against Naboth before the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king,” so they brought him outside of the city and stoned him with stones, and he died.

¹⁴ They sent to Jezebel saying, “Naboth has been stoned, and he is dead.” ¹⁵ It happened at the moment Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and died, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Get up, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite which he had refused to give to you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” ¹⁶ When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite to take possession of it.

Elijah Responds to Ahab

¹⁷ The word of Yahweh came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ¹⁸ “Arise, go down to meet Ahab the king of Israel who is in Samaria. Look in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession of it. ¹⁹ You shall say to him, ‘Thus says Yahweh: “Have you committed murder and also taken possession?”’ You shall also say to him, ‘Thus says Yahweh: “In the place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth, the dogs will also lick your blood.”’”

²⁰ Then Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, my enemy?” He said, “I have found you because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of Yahweh. ²¹ ‘Look, I am bringing disaster on you, and I will sweep away after you. I will cut off for Ahab every male^[bj] in Israel, bond or free. ²² I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because you made me angry^[bk] and have caused Israel to sin.’ ²³ Moreover, concerning Jezebel, Yahweh has said, ‘The dogs will eat Jezebel in the outer rampart of Jezreel.’ ²⁴ The one who dies for Ahab in the city, the dogs will eat; the one who dies in the open country, the birds of heaven will eat.”

²⁵ Truly, there was no one like Ahab who had sold himself by doing evil in the eyes of Yahweh, whose wife Jezebel urged him on. ²⁶ Also, he acted very abominably by going after idols like all the Amorites had done whom Yahweh had driven out from before the Israelites.”^[bl]

²⁷ When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth over his flesh, fasted, lay in the sackcloth, and went about dejectedly. ²⁸ Then the word of Yahweh came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ²⁹ “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring disaster in his days. I will bring the disaster on his house in the days of his son.”

Jehoshaphat of Judah Allies with Ahab of Israel

22 They lived three years, and there was no war between Aram and Israel. ² It happened in the third year, Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to the king of Israel, ³ and the king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know Ramoth-Gilead belongs to us, and we are doing nothing about taking it from the hand of the king of Aram?” ⁴ Then he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to the battle for Ramoth-Gilead?” Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am like you;^[bm] my people are like your people;^[bn] my horses are like your horses.”^[bo]

⁵ Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire for the word of Yahweh today.” ⁶ Then the king of Israel assembled the prophets, about four hundred men, and he said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth-Gilead for the battle, or should I refrain?” Then they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” ⁷ So Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no prophet of Yahweh here that we might still inquire from him?” ⁸ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man to inquire from Yahweh, but I despise him, for he never prophesies anything good concerning me, but only bad: Micaiah the son of Imlah.” Then Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not say so.” ⁹ The king of Israel summoned a certain court official, and he said, “Quickly fetch Micaiah son of Imlah.” ¹⁰ The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were each sitting on his throne, dressed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. ¹¹ Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, “Thus says Yahweh: ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until finishing them.’” ¹² All of the prophets were likewise prophesying, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-Gilead and triumph, and Yahweh will give it into the hand of the king.”

¹³ Then the messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Please now, the words of the prophet are unanimously^[bp] favorable to the king. Please let your words be as one word with them, and speak favorably.” ¹⁴ Then Micaiah said, “As Yahweh lives,^[bq] surely only as Yahweh speaks to me, that will I speak.” ¹⁵ When he came to the king, the king asked him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-Gilead to the battle, or shall we refrain?” He said to him, “Go up and triumph, and Yahweh will give it into the hand of the king.” ¹⁶ Then the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear that you shall not tell me anything but truth in the name of Yahweh?” ¹⁷ So he said, “I saw all of Israel scattering to the mountains, like the sheep without a shepherd. Yahweh also said, ‘There are no masters for these, let them return in peace, each to his house.’” ¹⁸ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not say to you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but disaster?”

¹⁹ And he^[br] said, “Therefore, hear the word of Yahweh. I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne with all the hosts of heaven standing beside him from his right hand and from his left hand. ²⁰ And Yahweh said, ‘Who will entice Ahab so that he will go up and fall at Ramoth-Gilead?’ Then this one was saying one thing and the other one was saying another.^{[bs] 21} Then a spirit came out and stood before Yahweh and said, ‘I will entice him,’ and Yahweh said to him, ‘How?’ ²² He said, ‘I will go out and I will be a false spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he^[bt] said, ‘You shall entice and succeed, go out and do so.’ ²³ So then, see that Yahweh has placed a false spirit in the mouth of all of these your prophets, and Yahweh has spoken disaster concerning you.”

²⁴ Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah came near and slapped Micaiah on the cheek and said, “When did the Spirit of Yahweh pass from me to speak with you?” ²⁵ Then Micaiah said, “Behold, you are about to see on that day when you go from room to room^[bu] to hide.” ²⁶ The king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the commander of the city and to Jehoash the son of the king; ²⁷ and say, ‘Thus says the king: “Put this fellow in the house of imprisonment and feed him reduced rations of food and water until I come in peace.”’” ²⁸ Then Micaiah said, “If you indeed return in peace, then Yahweh has not spoken with me.” Then he said, “Let all the peoples hear!”

²⁹ Then the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-Gilead. ³⁰ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you wear your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and he went into the battle. ³¹ The king of Aram commanded his thirty-two chariot commanders, saying, “You shall not fight with small or great, but only against the king of Israel, him alone!” ³² When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely he is the king of Israel,” and they turned to fight against him, so Jehoshaphat called out. ³³ When the chariot commanders saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned away from him. ³⁴ But another man drew his bow fully and struck the king of Israel between the armor scales and the breastplate; so he said to his chariot driver, “Turn the chariot^[bv] and bring me out from the camp, for I am wounded.”

³⁵ The battle intensified on that day, and the king was being propped up in the chariot opposite Aram, but he died in the evening, and the blood of the wound ran out to the floor of the chariot. ³⁶ Then the shout passed through the camp about sunset, saying, “Each man to his city and each to his land!” ³⁷ So the king died, and they brought him^[bw] to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria. ³⁸ They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked his blood (now, the prostitutes washed themselves there) according to the word of Yahweh which he had spoken. ³⁹ The remainder of the acts of Ahab and all that he did, and the ivory palace and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel? ⁴⁰ So Ahab slept with his ancestors,^[bx] and Ahaziah his son became king in his place.

King Jehoshaphat of Judah

⁴¹ Jehoshaphat the son of Asa became king over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. ⁴² Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Azubah daughter of Shilhi. ⁴³ He walked in all of the way of Asa his father, and he did not turn aside from it, doing right in the eyes of Yahweh.^[by] Only he did not remove the high places; the people were still sacrificing and burning incense on the high places. ^44 [bz] But, Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel. ⁴⁵ The remainder of the acts of Jehoshaphat, his powerful deeds he did, and how he fought, are they not written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah? ⁴⁶ The remainder of the male shrine prostitutes who were left over in the days of Asa his father he exterminated from the land. ⁴⁷ There was not a king in Edom; a governor served as king. ⁴⁸ Jehoshaphat built^[ca] ships of the Tarshish type to go to Ophir for the gold; but he did not go because the ships were destroyed at Ezion-Geber. ⁴⁹ Then Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships,” but Jehoshaphat was not willing. ⁵⁰ And Jehoshaphat slept with his ancestors^[cb] and was buried with his ancestors^[cc] in the city of David his ancestor,^[cd] and Joram his son became king in his place.

King Ahaziah of Israel

⁵¹ Ahaziah son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. ⁵² He did evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and he went in the way of his father and his mother and in the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat who caused Israel to sin. ⁵³ He served Baal and bowed down to him; and he provoked Yahweh the God of Israel according to all that his father did.

Elijah and the Messengers of Ahaziah

1 Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. ² Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice in his upper room, which was in Samaria, and he was injured. So he sent messengers, and he said to them, “Go, inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, if I will survive this injury.”

³ Then the angel of Yahweh spoke to Elijah the Tishbite, “Get up, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and speak to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?’ ⁴ Therefore, thus says Yahweh, ‘The bed upon which you have gone, you will not come down from it, but you shall surely die.’” So Elijah went.

⁵ When the messengers returned to him, he asked them, “Why have you returned?” ⁶ Then they said to him, “A man came up to meet us, and he said to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent you and speak to him, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron? Therefore the bed upon which you have gone, you will not come down from it, for you will surely die.’”’” ⁷ Then he spoke to them, “What was the manner of the man who came up to meet you and spoke to you all these things?” ⁸ They answered him, “A hairy man^[ce] with a leather belt girded around his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”

⁹ So Ahaziah^[cf] sent to him the commander of fifty with his fifty men, and he went up to him while he was sitting on the top of the hill. He said to him, “O man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’” ¹⁰ Then Elijah answered and said to the commander of the fifty, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty!” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

¹¹ So he again sent^[cg] another commander of fifty and his fifty men. He answered and said to him, “O man of God, thus says the king, ‘Come down quickly!’” ¹² Then Elijah answered and said to them, “If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty!” Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

¹³ So he again sent^[ch] a third time a commander of fifty and his fifty, and the commander of the third fifty went up and came and knelt down on his knees before Elijah and entreated him. He said to him, “O man of God, please let my life and the lives of your servants, these fifty, be precious in your eyes. ¹⁴ Behold, fire from heaven came down and consumed the first two commanders of fifty and their fifties, so then let my life be precious in your eyes.” ¹⁵ Then the angel of Yahweh spoke to Elijah, “Go down with him. Do not be afraid because of him.” So he got up and went down with him to the king, ¹⁶ and he said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel from whom to inquire his word?—therefore the bed upon which you went, you shall not come down from it, for you shall surely die.’”

Epitaph for Ahaziah

¹⁷ So he died, according to the word of Yahweh which Elijah had spoken, and Joram became king in his place in the second year of Joram the son of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, because he had no son. ¹⁸ The remainder of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?

Elijah Taken Away from Elisha

2 When Yahweh was about to take Elijah up in the storm to heaven, Elijah and Elisha went from Gilgal. ² Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for Yahweh has sent me up to Bethel.” Elisha said, “As Yahweh lives^[ci] and as your soul lives,^[cj] I will certainly not leave you!” So they went down to Bethel. ³ Then the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and they said to him, “Do you know that Yahweh is going to take your master from you^[ck] today?” He said, “I also know; be quiet!”

⁴ Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here because Yahweh has sent me to Jericho.” And he said, “As Yahweh lives^[cl] and as your soul lives,^[cm] I will certainly not leave you!” So they came to Jericho. ⁵ Then the sons of the prophets who were in Jericho came near to Elisha, and they said to him, “Do you know that Yahweh is going to take your master from you^[cn] today?” He said, “I also know; be quiet!”

⁶ Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, because Yahweh has sent me to the Jordan.” He said, “As Yahweh lives^[co] and as your soul lives,^[cp] I will certainly not leave you!” So the two of them went on. ⁷ Then fifty men from the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance while the two of them stood by the Jordan. ⁸ Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the water. It divided in two,^[cq] and the two of them crossed over on dry land.

⁹ After they crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I may do for you before I am taken away from you.” Then Elisha said, “Please let there come to me a double portion of your spirit.” ¹⁰ He said, “What you ask is difficult. If you see me being taken from you, it will be so for you, but if not, it will not happen.” ¹¹ Then they were walking, talking as they went. Suddenly a fiery chariot with horses of fire appeared and separated between the two of them. Elijah went up in the storm to the heavens ¹² while Elisha was watching and crying out, “My father, my father; the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” But he could not see him any longer, and he grasped his clothes and tore them in two pieces.

¹³ Then he picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen off of him, and he returned and stood on the bank of the Jordan. ¹⁴ He took Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from upon him and struck the water. Then he said, “Where is Yahweh, the God of Elijah?” So he also struck the water, and it divided in two,^[cr] and Elisha crossed over.

Elisha Begins His Ministry

¹⁵ When the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him from the other side, they declared, “The spirit of Elijah rests upon Elisha,” and they came to meet him and bowed down to him to the ground. ¹⁶ Then they said to him, “Look, there are with your servants fifty able men. Please let them go and look for your master, lest the Spirit of Yahweh has lifted him up and thrown him on one of the mountains or into one of the valleys,” but he said, “You must not send them.” ¹⁷ But they urged him until embarrassing him, so he said, “Send them.” So they sent fifty men, and they looked for three days, but they could not find him. ¹⁸ Then they returned to him while he was staying in Jericho. He said to them, “Did I not tell you not to go?”

¹⁹ The men of the city said to Elisha, “Please now, the location of the city is good, as my master can see, but the water is bad and the land unproductive.” ²⁰ So he said, “Bring me a new bowl and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. ²¹ Then he went out to the spring of waters and threw the salt into it there and said, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘I hereby purify these waters; let there be no longer any death or unproductiveness from it.’” ²² Then the waters were purified until this very day according to the word of Elisha that he spoke.

²³ Then he went up from there to Bethel; as he was going up along the way, young boys came out from the city and mocked at him and said to him, “Go up, baldhead; go up, baldhead!” ²⁴ When he turned around and saw them, he cursed them in the name of Yahweh. Then two bears came out of the forest and mauled forty-two boys among them. ²⁵ Then he went from there to Mount Carmel and from there he returned to Samaria.

Joram Meets Moab in Battle

3 Now Joram the son of Ahab had become king over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. He reigned twelve years ² and did evil in the eyes of Yahweh, yet not as his father or his mother, as he removed the stone pillars of Baal that his father had made. ³ But he did cling to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat who caused Israel to sin, and he did not depart from it.

⁴ Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and he used to deliver to the king of Israel a hundred thousand male lambs and a hundred thousand wool rams. ⁵ It happened that when Ahab died, Mesha king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. ⁶ So King Joram went out on that day from Samaria, and he mustered all of Israel. ⁷ He went and sent a message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me against Moab for the battle?” And he said, “I will go up. I am like you;^[cs] my people are like your people;^[ct] my horses are like your horses.”^{[cu] 8} Then he said, “Which way shall we go up?” And he answered, “By way of the wilderness of Edom.”

⁹ So the king of Israel and the king of Judah and the king of Edom went around, a way of seven days, but there was no water for the army or for the animals which were with them.^{[cv] 10} Then the king of Israel said, “Aha, Yahweh has called for these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.” ¹¹ Then Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of Yahweh here that we might inquire guidance from Yahweh?” One of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, “Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.”^{[cw] 12} Jehoshaphat said, “The word of Yahweh is with him.” So the king of Israel, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom went down to him.

¹³ Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What do we have in common?^[cx] Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.” Then the king of Israel said to him, “No, for Yahweh has called for these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.” ¹⁴ Then Elisha said, “As Yahweh of hosts lives,^[cy] before whom I stand, surely if I was not regarding the face^[cz] of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would have not looked at you nor even glanced at you. ¹⁵ But now, bring me a musician.” It happened that at the moment the musician played, the hand of Yahweh came upon him. ¹⁶ He said, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Make this wadi full of cisterns,’^{[da] 17} for thus says Yahweh, ‘You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this wadi will be full of water; and you and all of your livestock and your animals shall drink.’ ¹⁸ And since this is too trivial in the eyes of Yahweh, he will also give Moab into your hand, ¹⁹ and you shall defeat every fortified city, every choice city, and you shall fell every good tree. All of the springs of water you shall stop up, and every tract of good land you shall ruin with the stones.” ²⁰ It happened in the morning about the time of the morning offering, that water was suddenly coming from the direction of Edom and the land was filled with water.

²¹ Now all of Moab had heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, and all who were fighting age and up^[db] were called up, and they stood at the border. ²² When they arose early in the morning, the sun shone on the waters, and Moab saw the waters from the opposite side as red as blood. ²³ Then they said, “This is blood! Certainly the kings have fought one another, and each has killed his neighbor. Now, to the war booty, O Moab!” ²⁴ But when they came to the camp of Israel, Israel stood up and killed Moab, so that they fled from before them. They came at her and defeated Moab. ²⁵ The cities they tore down, on every good tract of land they threw stones until it was filled up, every spring of water they stopped up, and every good tree they felled. They let the stone walls at Kir Hareseth remain, but the slingers surrounded and attacked it. ²⁶ When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too heavy for him, he took with him seven hundred men who drew the sword to break through to the king of Edom, but they were not able. ²⁷ He took his firstborn son who was to become king in his place and offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. Great wrath came upon Israel, and they withdrew from him and returned to the land.

Elisha Answers a Widow’s Request

4 A certain woman from the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead. Now you know that your servant was a fearer of Yahweh, but the creditor came to take two of my children for himself as slaves. ² Elisha asked her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” Then she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of olive oil.” ³ Then he said to her, “Go, ask for yourself some containers from the streets, from all your neighbors. You must collect as many empty containers as you can!^{[dc] 4} You must also go and shut the door behind you and your children, and you must pour out oil into all of these containers and set the filled ones aside.” ⁵ So she went from him, and she shut the door behind her and her children. They were bringing containers to her, and she kept pouring. ⁶ It happened that when the containers were full, she said to her son, “Bring near me another container,” but he said to her, “There is not another container.” Then the olive oil stopped flowing. ⁷ So she came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the olive oil and repay your debt. You and your sons can live on what is left over.”

Elisha at Shunem

⁸ It happened one day that Elisha passed through to Shunem where there was a wealthy woman, and she urged him to eat bread; so it happened each time he passed through, he would stop there to eat. ⁹ She said to her husband, “Please now, I know that he is a holy man of God who is passing our way^[dd] regularly; ¹⁰ let us make a small enclosed room upstairs and put a bed, table, chair, and lampstand there for him, so that when he comes to us, he can turn and stay there. ¹¹ One day it happened that he came there and went to the upper room and lay down there. ¹² He said to Gehazi his servant, “Call to this Shunammite,” so he called to her, and she stood before him. ¹³ He said to him, “Please say to her, ‘Look, you took all this trouble, showing care for us; what is there for me to do for you? To speak for you to the king or to the commander of the army?’” She said, “I am living among my people.” ¹⁴ Then he said, “What may be done for her?” Gehazi said, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is old.” ¹⁵ And he said, “Call for her,” so he called for her and she stood in the doorway. ¹⁶ And he said, “At this time next spring,^[de] you will be embracing a son.” She said, “No, my lord, O man of God! You must not tell a lie to your servant!” ¹⁷ But the woman conceived, and she bore a son in the spring,^[df] which Elisha had promised to her.

Elisha Restores the Shunammite’s Son

¹⁸ The child grew older, and it happened one day that he went out to his father and to the reapers. ¹⁹ Then he said to his father, “My head, my head!” So he said to the servant, “Carry him to his mother.” ²⁰ So they carried him and brought him to his mother; he sat on her lap until noon and then died. ²¹ She went up, laid him on the bed of the man of God, closed the door, and went out behind it. ²² She called to her husband and said, “Please send one of the servants and one of the female donkeys for me, so that I can go quickly up to the man of God and return.” ²³ And he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither the new moon nor the Sabbath!” And she said, “Peace.” ²⁴ She saddled the female donkey, and she said to her servant, “Drive along and go; you must not hold me back from riding, unless I tell you.” ²⁵ So she went and came to the man of God by Mount Carmel. It happened when the man of God saw her at a distance,^[dg] he said to Gehazi his servant, “There is this Shunammite. ²⁶ Now, please run to meet her and ask her, ‘Is it peace for you? Is it peace for your husband? Is it peace for the boy?’” She said, “Peace.” ²⁷ So she came to the man of God at the mountain, and she caught hold of his feet. Then Gehazi came near to push her away, but the man of God said, “Let her alone, for her soul is bitter, and Yahweh has hidden it from me and has not told me.” ²⁸ Then she said, “Did I ask for a son from my lord? Did I not say that you must not mislead me?”

²⁹ Then he said to Gehazi, “Gird up your loins and take my staff in your hand and go. If you meet anyone, you must not greet them; if anyone greets you, you must not answer them. You must put my staff on the face of the boy.” ³⁰ Then the mother of the boy said, “As Yahweh lives^[dh] and as your soul lives,^[di] I will surely not leave you.” So he got up and went after her. ³¹ Gehazi crossed over before them, and he put the staff on the face of the boy; but there was no sound, and there was no sign of life, so he returned to meet him. He told him, saying, “The boy did not wake up.”

³² When Elisha came to the house, here was the boy dead, lying on his bed. ³³ He went and closed the door behind the two of them and prayed to Yahweh. ³⁴ Then he went up and lay upon the child and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his palms on his palms. As he bent down over him, the flesh of the boy became warm. ³⁵ He returned and went to and fro^[dj] in the house one time, then he went up and bent over him. Then the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. ³⁶ Elisha called to Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her and she came to him; then he said, “Pick up your son.” ³⁷ She came and fell at his feet and bowed down to the ground; then she picked up her son and went out.