Old/New Testament

16 Now the word of the Lord came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying, ² “I took you from the dust and gave you honor. I made you leader over My people Israel. But you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made My people Israel sin. You have made Me angry with their sins. ³ So I will destroy Baasha and his house. I will make your house like the family of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. ⁴ The dogs will eat anyone of Baasha’s family who dies in the city. And the birds of the air will eat anyone of his who dies in the field.”

⁵ The rest of the acts of Baasha and what he did and his strength, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ⁶ Baasha died and was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah became king in his place. ⁷ The word of the Lord came against Baasha and his house through the man who spoke for God, Jehu the son of Hanani because Baasha had done what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord. He made the Lord angry with the work of his hands, in being like the family of Jeroboam, and because he destroyed it.

Elah Rules Israel

⁸ In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king of Israel at Tirzah. He ruled for two years. ⁹ His servant Zimri, captain of half his war-wagons, made plans against him. Elah was at Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the family of Arza. Arza was the head of the house at Tirzah. ¹⁰ Zimri went in and hit him and killed him, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah. And Zimri became king in his place. ¹¹ When he became king, as soon as he sat on his throne, he killed all those of Baasha’s house. He did not leave alive one male, of his brothers or of his friends. ¹² So Zimri destroyed the whole family of Baasha, as was spoken against Baasha by the word of the Lord through Jehu the man who spoke for God. ¹³ It happened because of all the sins of Baasha and his son Elah. They sinned and they made Israel sin. They made the Lord God of Israel angry with their false gods. ¹⁴ Now the rest of the acts of Elah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

Zimri Rules Israel

¹⁵ In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri ruled seven days at Tirzah. Now the people were gathered against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. ¹⁶ The people who were gathered heard it said, “Zimri has made plans and has killed the king.” So all Israel made Omri, the captain of the army, the king of Israel that day among the tents. ¹⁷ Then Omri went with all Israel up from Gibbethon, and they gathered in battle around Tirzah. ¹⁸ When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into an inside room of the king’s house. And he burned the king’s house over him with fire, and died. ¹⁹ He died because of his sins. He did what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord, walking in the way of Jeroboam. And in his sin, he made Israel sin. ²⁰ The rest of the acts of Zimri and the plan he made, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

Omri Rules Israel

²¹ Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts. Half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king. The other half followed Omri. ²² But the people who followed Omri won over the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath. Tibni died and Omri became king. ²³ In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became the king of Israel. He ruled for twelve years. He ruled six years at Tirzah. ²⁴ And he bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for silver weighing as much as two men. He built on the hill, and gave the city he built the name of Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill. ²⁵ Omri did what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord. He acted worse than all who were before him. ²⁶ For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. And in his sin he made Israel sin. They made the Lord God of Israel angry with their false gods. ²⁷ Now the rest of the acts of Omri and the strength that he showed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ²⁸ Omri died and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab became king in his place.

Ahab Rules Israel

²⁹ Omri’s son Ahab became king of Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah. He ruled over Israel in Samaria for twenty-two years. ³⁰ Ahab the son of Omri did what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord more than all who were before him. ³¹ He thought it was a small thing to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. He married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians. Then he went to serve the false god Baal and worshiped him. ³² He built an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. ³³ Ahab made an object of wood to look like the false goddess Asherah. So Ahab did more to make the Lord God of Israel angry than all the kings of Israel before him. ³⁴ In his days Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho. His first-born son Abiram died as he began to build the city. His youngest son Segub died as he put up its gates. It happened as it was told by the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua the son of Nun.

Elijah Fed by Ravens

17 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of the people who were staying in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before Whom I stand, for sure there will be no rain or water on the grass in the early morning these years, except by my word.” ² And the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ³ “Leave here and turn east. Hide yourself by the river Cherith, east of the Jordan. ⁴ You will drink from the river. And I have told the ravens to bring food to you there.” ⁵ So he went and did what he was told by the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the river Cherith, east of the Jordan. ⁶ The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and in the evening. And he drank from the river. ⁷ But after a while, the river dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

The Woman Whose Husband Had Died

⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ⁹ “Get up and go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there. I have told a woman there, whose husband has died, to feed you.” ¹⁰ So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. When he came to the city gate, he saw a woman there gathering sticks. He called to her and said, “I ask of you, get me a little water in a jar, that I may drink.” ¹¹ As she was going to get it, he called to her, “I ask of you, bring me a piece of bread in your hand.” ¹² But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have no bread. I only have enough flour in the jar to fill a hand, and a little oil in the jar. See, I am gathering a few sticks so I may go in and make it ready for me and my son. Then we will eat it and die.” ¹³ Elijah said to her, “Have no fear. Go and do as you have said. But make me a little loaf of bread from it first, and bring it out to me. Then you may make one for yourself and for your son. ¹⁴ For the Lord God of Israel says, ‘The jar of flour will not be used up. And the jar of oil will not be empty, until the day the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” ¹⁵ So she went and did what Elijah said. And she and he and those of her house ate for many days. ¹⁶ The jar of flour was not used up, and the jar of oil did not become empty. It happened as was spoken by the word of the Lord through Elijah.

Elijah and the Woman’s Son

¹⁷ After this the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. His sickness was so bad that there was no breath left in him. ¹⁸ So the woman said to Elijah, “What do I have to do with you, O man of God? You have come to me to have my sin be remembered, and to kill my son!” ¹⁹ He said to her, “Give me your son.” Then he took him from her arms and carried him up to the room on the second floor where he stayed. And he laid him on his own bed. ²⁰ He called to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, have You brought trouble to the woman I am staying with, by making her son die?” ²¹ Then he lay upon the child three times and called to the Lord, saying, “O Lord my God, I pray to You. Let this child’s life return to him.” ²² The Lord heard the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child returned to him and he became strong again. ²³ Elijah took the child and brought him down from the second floor into the house and gave him to his mother. He said, “See, your son is alive.” ²⁴ Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God. Now I know that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”

Elijah’s Word to Ahab

18 After many days, the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go show yourself to Ahab. And I will send rain upon the earth.” ² So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the time without food was very hard in Samaria. ³ And Ahab called Obadiah who was the boss over his house. (Now Obadiah had much fear of the Lord. ⁴ For when Jezebel destroyed the men who spoke for the Lord, Obadiah took 100 of these men and hid them by fifties in a cave. And he fed them with bread and water.) ⁵ Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the wells of water and to all the valleys. It may be that we will find grass and keep the horses and donkeys alive, and not lose some of the animals. ⁶ So they divided the land between them to pass through it. Ahab went one way by himself. And Obadiah went another way by himself.

⁷ As Obadiah was on the way, Elijah met him. Obadiah knew who he was, and fell on his face and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?” ⁸ He answered, “It is I. Go and tell your owner, ‘See, Elijah is here.’” ⁹ Obadiah said, “What sin have I done? Why are you giving your servant into the hand of Ahab to be killed? ¹⁰ As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation where the king has not sent men to look for you. And when they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made the nation prove that they could not find you. ¹¹ Now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your owner, “See, Elijah is here.” ‘ ¹² And after I have left you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you where I do not know. So I will go and tell Ahab, and he will not be able to find you. Then he will kill me. But I your servant have honored the Lord since I was young. ¹³ Have you not been told what I did when Jezebel killed the men who spoke for the Lord? I hid 100 men of the Lord by fifties in a cave. And I gave them bread and water. ¹⁴ Now you are saying, ‘Go and tell your owner, “See, Elijah is here.”’ He will kill me.” ¹⁵ Elijah said, “As the Lord of All lives, before Whom I stand, I will show myself to Ahab today.”

¹⁶ So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him. And Ahab went to meet Elijah. ¹⁷ When he saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, the one who brings trouble to Israel?” ¹⁸ Elijah said, “I have not brought trouble to Israel. But you and your father’s house have. Because you have turned away from the laws of the Lord, and have followed the false gods of Baal. ¹⁹ So now call together all Israel to me at Mount Carmel. And gather together 450 men who speak for Baal and 400 men who speak for the false goddess Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

Elijah on Mount Carmel

²⁰ So Ahab sent news among all the people of Israel. And he brought the men who speak for the false gods together at Mount Carmel. ²¹ Elijah came near all the people and said, “How long will you be divided between two ways of thinking? If the Lord is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, then follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word. ²² Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only man left who speaks for God. But here are 450 men who speak for Baal. ²³ Bring two bulls to us. Let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it up and put it on the wood. But put no fire under it. I will make the other bull ready and lay it on the wood. And I will put no fire under it. ²⁴ Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The God Who answers by fire, He is God.” All the people answered and said, “That is a good idea.”

²⁵ So Elijah said to the men who spoke for Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and make it ready first. For there are many of you. Then call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.” ²⁶ So they took the bull which was given to them and made it ready. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us.” But there was no voice. No one answered. They jumped and danced around the altar they had made. ²⁷ At noon Elijah made fun of them. He said, “Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god. It might be that he is in deep thought or has turned away. He could be away traveling. Or it may be that he is asleep and needs to have someone wake him.” ²⁸ So they cried with a loud voice. They cut themselves as they had done in the past, with swords and spears until blood poured out on them. ²⁹ When noon passed, they cried out until the time for giving the evening gift. But there was no voice. No one answered. No one listened.

³⁰ Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he built again the altar of the Lord which had been torn down. ³¹ Then Elijah took twelve stones, by the number of the families of Jacob’s sons. The word of the Lord had come to Jacob’s sons, saying, “Israel will be your name.” ³² With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. And he made a ditch around the altar, big enough to hold twenty-two jars of seed. ³³ Then he set the wood in place. He cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt gift and on the wood.” ³⁴ Then he said, “Do it a second time.” And they did it a second time. He said, “Do it a third time.” And they did it a third time. ³⁵ The water flowed around the altar, and filled the ditch also. ³⁶ Then the time came for giving the evening gift. Elijah the man who spoke for God came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that You are God in Israel. Let it be known that I am Your servant, and have done all these things at Your word. ³⁷ Answer me, O Lord. Answer me so these people may know that You, O Lord, are God. Turn their hearts to You again.” ³⁸ Then the fire of the Lord fell. It burned up the burnt gift, the wood, the stones and the dust. And it picked up the water that was in the ditch. ³⁹ All the people fell on their faces when they saw it. They said, “The Lord, He is God. The Lord, He is God.” ⁴⁰ Then Elijah said to them, “Take hold of the men who speak for Baal. Do not let one of them get away.” So they took hold of them. And Elijah brought them down to the river Kishon, and killed them there.

The Rains Come

⁴¹ Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink. For there is the sound of much rain.” ⁴² So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel. He got down on the ground and put his face between his knees. ⁴³ And he said to his servant, “Go up now and look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” Seven times Elijah said, “Go again.” ⁴⁴ The seventh time, he said, “I see a cloud as small as a man’s hand coming up from the sea.” Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Make your war-wagon ready and go down, so that the rain does not stop you.’” ⁴⁵ Soon the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was much rain. And Ahab went to Jezreel. ⁴⁶ Then the hand of the Lord was on Elijah. He pulled his clothing up under his belt and ran before Ahab to Jezreel.

Jesus Is Handed Over to Sinners ^(A)

⁴⁷ While Jesus was speaking, Judas came walking ahead of many people. He was one of the twelve followers. He came near to Jesus to kiss Him. ⁴⁸ But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you handing over the Son of Man with a kiss?” ⁴⁹ Those around Jesus saw what was going to happen and asked, “Lord, should we fight with our swords?” ⁵⁰ One of them hit a servant who was owned by the head religious leader and cut off his right ear. ⁵¹ Jesus said, “Stop! This is enough.” And He put His hand on his ear and healed him.

Jesus Stands in Front of the Religious Leaders ^(B)

⁵² Jesus said to the religious leaders and the leaders of the house of God and the other leaders who came to Him, “Have you come with swords and sticks to take Me, as if I were a robber? ⁵³ While I was with you everyday in the house of God, you never took hold of Me. But now is the time you are to come and you have come in the dark.”

⁵⁴ Then they led Jesus away to the house of the head religious leader. Peter followed a long way behind Him.

Peter Said He Did Not Know Jesus ^(C)

⁵⁵ They built a fire in the yard and sat down. Peter sat down with them. ⁵⁶ One of the servant-girls saw Peter as he sat by the fire and looked right at him. She said, “This man was with Jesus also.” ⁵⁷ Peter lied and said, “Woman, I do not know Him.” ⁵⁸ After awhile another person saw him and said, “You are one of them also.” Peter said, “No, sir, I am not.” ⁵⁹ About an hour later another person said the same thing, “For sure, this man was with Jesus also because he is from Galilee.” ⁶⁰ But Peter said, “Sir, I do not know what you are saying.” And at once, while he was talking, a rooster crowed. ⁶¹ The Lord turned and looked at Peter. He remembered the Lord had said, “Before a rooster crows, you will say three times that you do not know Me.” ⁶² Peter went outside and cried with a troubled heart.

⁶³ Those who watched Jesus so He could not get away made fun of Him and beat Him. ⁶⁴ They covered His eyes with a cloth and asked Him, “Tell us who hit You!” ⁶⁵ They said many other bad things against Jesus.

⁶⁶ When it was morning the leaders of the people and the religious leaders and the teachers of the Law got together. They took Jesus to the court of the religious leader. They said, ⁶⁷ “Tell us if you are the Christ.” He said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe Me. ⁶⁸ If I ask you something, you will not tell Me. ⁶⁹ From now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the All-powerful God.” ⁷⁰ They all said, “Then are You the Son of God?” He said, “You say that I am.” ⁷¹ Then they said, “What other word do we need against Him? We have heard Him say this with His own mouth.”