The Gospel of Mark (Part Six)

4 Keys to Prioritizing God for the Solopreneur Parent

Prayer, a Privilege!

God’s Miracles From Small Actions: A 4-Part Devotion

Know What You Believe: A 5-Day Devotional for Unwavering Faith

Growing a Mother's Heart

UNSUNG HERO Bible Reading Plan

Lament, Finding a Path for Your Grief

Loving Disagreement: A 10-Day Bible Reading Plan by Kathy Khang and Matt Mikalatos

TheLionWithin.Us: Choosing Your Circle: The Power of Influence

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="label">9</div><div class="s1">A Common Destiny for All</div><div class="p"> 1So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God&#8217;s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them. 2All share a common destiny&#8212;the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,#9:2 Septuagint (Aquila), Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew does not have and the bad. the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.</div><div class="q1">As it is with the good,</div><div class="q2">so with the sinful;</div><div class="q1">as it is with those who take oaths,</div><div class="q2">so with those who are afraid to take them.</div><div class="p"> 3This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. 4Anyone who is among the living has hope#9:4 Or What then is to be chosen? With all who live, there is hope&#8212;even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!</div><div class="q1"> 5For the living know that they will die,</div><div class="q2">but the dead know nothing;</div><div class="q1">they have no further reward,</div><div class="q2">and even their name is forgotten.</div><div class="q1"> 6Their love, their hate</div><div class="q2">and their jealousy have long since vanished;</div><div class="q1">never again will they have a part</div><div class="q2">in anything that happens under the sun.</div><div class="p"> 7Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. 8Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. 9Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun&#8212;all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.</div><div class="p"> 11I have seen something else under the sun:</div><div class="q1">The race is not to the swift</div><div class="q2">or the battle to the strong,</div><div class="q1">nor does food come to the wise</div><div class="q2">or wealth to the brilliant</div><div class="q2">or favor to the learned;</div><div class="q1">but time and chance happen to them all.</div><div class="p"> 12Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come:</div><div class="q1">As fish are caught in a cruel net,</div><div class="q2">or birds are taken in a snare,</div><div class="q1">so people are trapped by evil times</div><div class="q2">that fall unexpectedly upon them.</div><div class="s1">Wisdom Better Than Folly</div><div class="p"> 13I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me: 14There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siege works against it. 15Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man. 16So I said, &#8220;Wisdom is better than strength.&#8221; But the poor man&#8217;s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.</div><div class="q1"> 17The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded</div><div class="q2">than the shouts of a ruler of fools.</div><div class="q1"> 18Wisdom is better than weapons of war,</div><div class="q2">but one sinner destroys much good.</div><div class="b"></div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkECC">
 <div class="chapter ch10" data-usfm="ECC.10">
 <div class="label">10</div><div class="q1"> 1As dead flies give perfume a bad smell,</div><div class="q2">so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.</div><div class="q1"> 2The heart of the wise inclines to the right,</div><div class="q2">but the heart of the fool to the left.</div><div class="q1"> 3Even as fools walk along the road,</div><div class="q2">they lack sense</div><div class="q2">and show everyone how stupid they are.</div><div class="q1"> 4If a ruler&#8217;s anger rises against you,</div><div class="q2">do not leave your post;</div><div class="q2">calmness can lay great offenses to rest.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 5There is an evil I have seen under the sun,</div><div class="q2">the sort of error that arises from a ruler:</div><div class="q1"> 6Fools are put in many high positions,</div><div class="q2">while the rich occupy the low ones.</div><div class="q1"> 7I have seen slaves on horseback,</div><div class="q2">while princes go on foot like slaves.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 8Whoever digs a pit may fall into it;</div><div class="q2">whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.</div><div class="q1"> 9Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;</div><div class="q2">whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 10If the ax is dull</div><div class="q2">and its edge unsharpened,</div><div class="q1">more strength is needed,</div><div class="q2">but skill will bring success.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 11If a snake bites before it is charmed,</div><div class="q2">the charmer receives no fee.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 12Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,</div><div class="q2">but fools are consumed by their own lips.</div><div class="q1"> 13At the beginning their words are folly;</div><div class="q2">at the end they are wicked madness&#8212;</div><div class="q2"> 14and fools multiply words.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1">No one knows what is coming&#8212;</div><div class="q2">who can tell someone else what will happen after them?</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 15The toil of fools wearies them;</div><div class="q2">they do not know the way to town.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 16Woe to the land whose king was a servant#10:16 Or king is a child</div><div class="q2">and whose princes feast in the morning.</div><div class="q1"> 17Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth</div><div class="q2">and whose princes eat at a proper time&#8212;</div><div class="q2">for strength and not for drunkenness.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 18Through laziness, the rafters sag;</div><div class="q2">because of idle hands, the house leaks.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 19A feast is made for laughter,</div><div class="q2">wine makes life merry,</div><div class="q2">and money is the answer for everything.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 20Do not revile the king even in your thoughts,</div><div class="q2">or curse the rich in your bedroom,</div><div class="q1">because a bird in the sky may carry your words,</div><div class="q2">and a bird on the wing may report what you say.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkECC">
 <div class="chapter ch11" data-usfm="ECC.11">
 <div class="label">11</div><div class="s1">Invest in Many Ventures</div><div class="q1"> 1Ship your grain across the sea;</div><div class="q2">after many days you may receive a return.</div><div class="q1"> 2Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight;</div><div class="q2">you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 3If clouds are full of water,</div><div class="q2">they pour rain on the earth.</div><div class="q1">Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,</div><div class="q2">in the place where it falls, there it will lie.</div><div class="q1"> 4Whoever watches the wind will not plant;</div><div class="q2">whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 5As you do not know the path of the wind,</div><div class="q2">or how the body is formed#11:5 Or know how life (or the spirit) / enters the body being formed in a mother&#8217;s womb,</div><div class="q1">so you cannot understand the work of God,</div><div class="q2">the Maker of all things.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 6Sow your seed in the morning,</div><div class="q2">and at evening let your hands not be idle,</div><div class="q1">for you do not know which will succeed,</div><div class="q2">whether this or that,</div><div class="q2">or whether both will do equally well.</div><div class="s1">Remember Your Creator While Young</div><div class="q1"> 7Light is sweet,</div><div class="q2">and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.</div><div class="q1"> 8However many years anyone may live,</div><div class="q2">let them enjoy them all.</div><div class="q1">But let them remember the days of darkness,</div><div class="q2">for there will be many.</div><div class="q2">Everything to come is meaningless.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 9You who are young, be happy while you are young,</div><div class="q2">and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.</div><div class="q1">Follow the ways of your heart</div><div class="q2">and whatever your eyes see,</div><div class="q1">but know that for all these things</div><div class="q2">God will bring you into judgment.</div><div class="q1"> 10So then, banish anxiety from your heart</div><div class="q2">and cast off the troubles of your body,</div><div class="q2">for youth and vigor are meaningless.</div><div class="b"></div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkECC">
 <div class="chapter ch12" data-usfm="ECC.12">
 <div class="label">12</div><div class="q1"> 1Remember your Creator</div><div class="q2">in the days of your youth,</div><div class="q1">before the days of trouble come</div><div class="q2">and the years approach when you will say,</div><div class="q2">&#8220;I find no pleasure in them&#8221;&#8212;</div><div class="q1"> 2before the sun and the light</div><div class="q2">and the moon and the stars grow dark,</div><div class="q2">and the clouds return after the rain;</div><div class="q1"> 3when the keepers of the house tremble,</div><div class="q2">and the strong men stoop,</div><div class="q1">when the grinders cease because they are few,</div><div class="q2">and those looking through the windows grow dim;</div><div class="q1"> 4when the doors to the street are closed</div><div class="q2">and the sound of grinding fades;</div><div class="q1">when people rise up at the sound of birds,</div><div class="q2">but all their songs grow faint;</div><div class="q1"> 5when people are afraid of heights</div><div class="q2">and of dangers in the streets;</div><div class="q1">when the almond tree blossoms</div><div class="q2">and the grasshopper drags itself along</div><div class="q2">and desire no longer is stirred.</div><div class="q1">Then people go to their eternal home</div><div class="q2">and mourners go about the streets.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 6Remember him&#8212;before the silver cord is severed,</div><div class="q2">and the golden bowl is broken;</div><div class="q1">before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,</div><div class="q2">and the wheel broken at the well,</div><div class="q1"> 7and the dust returns to the ground it came from,</div><div class="q2">and the spirit returns to God who gave it.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 8&#8220;Meaningless! Meaningless!&#8221; says the Teacher.#12:8 Or the leader of the assembly; also in verses 9 and 10</div><div class="q2">&#8220;Everything is meaningless!&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Conclusion of the Matter</div><div class="p"> 9Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. 10The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.</div><div class="p"> 11The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails&#8212;given by one shepherd.#12:11 Or Shepherd 12Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.</div><div class="p">Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.</div><div class="q1"> 13Now all has been heard;</div><div class="q2">here is the conclusion of the matter:</div><div class="q1">Fear God and keep his commandments,</div><div class="q2">for this is the duty of all mankind.</div><div class="q1"> 14For God will bring every deed into judgment,</div><div class="q2">including every hidden thing,</div><div class="q2">whether it is good or evil.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="label">12</div><div class="s1">Israel Rebels Against Rehoboam</div><div class="p"> 1Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king. 2When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from#12:2 Or he remained in Egypt. 3So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him: 4&#8220;Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 5Rehoboam answered, &#8220;Go away for three days and then come back to me.&#8221; So the people went away.</div><div class="p"> 6Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. &#8220;How would you advise me to answer these people?&#8221; he asked.</div><div class="p"> 7They replied, &#8220;If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him. 9He asked them, &#8220;What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, &#8216;Lighten the yoke your father put on us&#8217;?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10The young men who had grown up with him replied, &#8220;These people have said to you, &#8216;Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter.&#8217; Now tell them, &#8216;My little finger is thicker than my father&#8217;s waist. 11My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king had said, &#8220;Come back to me in three days.&#8221; 13The king answered the people harshly. Rejecting the advice given him by the elders, 14he followed the advice of the young men and said, &#8220;My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.&#8221; 15So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the Lord, to fulfill the word the Lord had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.</div><div class="p"> 16When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, they answered the king:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;What share do we have in David,</div><div class="q2">what part in Jesse&#8217;s son?</div><div class="q1">To your tents, Israel!</div><div class="q2">Look after your own house, David!&#8221;</div><div class="m">So the Israelites went home. 17But as for the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah, Rehoboam still ruled over them.</div><div class="p"> 18King Rehoboam sent out Adoniram,#12:18 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also 4:6 and 5:14); Hebrew Adoram who was in charge of forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam, however, managed to get into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. 19So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.</div><div class="p"> 20When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the house of David.</div><div class="p"> 21When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered all Judah and the tribe of Benjamin&#8212;a hundred and eighty thousand able young men&#8212;to go to war against Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam son of Solomon.</div><div class="p"> 22But this word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: 23&#8220;Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, to all Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, 24&#8216;This is what the Lord says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221; So they obeyed the word of the Lord and went home again, as the Lord had ordered.</div><div class="s1">Golden Calves at Bethel and Dan</div><div class="p"> 25Then Jeroboam fortified Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built up Peniel.#12:25 Hebrew Penuel, a variant of Peniel</div><div class="p"> 26Jeroboam thought to himself, &#8220;The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David. 27If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 28After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, &#8220;It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.&#8221; 29One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. 30And this thing became a sin; the people came to worship the one at Bethel and went as far as Dan to worship the other.#12:30 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text people went to the one as far as Dan</div><div class="p"> 31Jeroboam built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites. 32He instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival held in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made. And at Bethel he also installed priests at the high places he had made. 33On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built at Bethel. So he instituted the festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to make offerings.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1KI">
 <div class="chapter ch13" data-usfm="1KI.13">
 <div class="label">13</div><div class="s1">The Man of God From Judah</div><div class="p"> 1By the word of the Lord a man of God came from Judah to Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make an offering. 2By the word of the Lord he cried out against the altar: &#8220;Altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: &#8216;A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221; 3That same day the man of God gave a sign: &#8220;This is the sign the Lord has declared: The altar will be split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4When King Jeroboam heard what the man of God cried out against the altar at Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar and said, &#8220;Seize him!&#8221; But the hand he stretched out toward the man shriveled up, so that he could not pull it back. 5Also, the altar was split apart and its ashes poured out according to the sign given by the man of God by the word of the Lord.</div><div class="p"> 6Then the king said to the man of God, &#8220;Intercede with the Lord your God and pray for me that my hand may be restored.&#8221; So the man of God interceded with the Lord, and the king&#8217;s hand was restored and became as it was before.</div><div class="p"> 7The king said to the man of God, &#8220;Come home with me for a meal, and I will give you a gift.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8But the man of God answered the king, &#8220;Even if you were to give me half your possessions, I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water here. 9For I was commanded by the word of the Lord: &#8216;You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221; 10So he took another road and did not return by the way he had come to Bethel.</div><div class="p"> 11Now there was a certain old prophet living in Bethel, whose sons came and told him all that the man of God had done there that day. They also told their father what he had said to the king. 12Their father asked them, &#8220;Which way did he go?&#8221; And his sons showed him which road the man of God from Judah had taken. 13So he said to his sons, &#8220;Saddle the donkey for me.&#8221; And when they had saddled the donkey for him, he mounted it 14and rode after the man of God. He found him sitting under an oak tree and asked, &#8220;Are you the man of God who came from Judah?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;I am,&#8221; he replied.</div><div class="p"> 15So the prophet said to him, &#8220;Come home with me and eat.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16The man of God said, &#8220;I cannot turn back and go with you, nor can I eat bread or drink water with you in this place. 17I have been told by the word of the Lord: &#8216;You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18The old prophet answered, &#8220;I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the Lord: &#8216;Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221; (But he was lying to him.) 19So the man of God returned with him and ate and drank in his house.</div><div class="p"> 20While they were sitting at the table, the word of the Lord came to the old prophet who had brought him back. 21He cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, &#8220;This is what the Lord says: &#8216;You have defied the word of the Lord and have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. 22You came back and ate bread and drank water in the place where he told you not to eat or drink. Therefore your body will not be buried in the tomb of your ancestors.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23When the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the prophet who had brought him back saddled his donkey for him. 24As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was left lying on the road, with both the donkey and the lion standing beside it. 25Some people who passed by saw the body lying there, with the lion standing beside the body, and they went and reported it in the city where the old prophet lived.</div><div class="p"> 26When the prophet who had brought him back from his journey heard of it, he said, &#8220;It is the man of God who defied the word of the Lord. The Lord has given him over to the lion, which has mauled him and killed him, as the word of the Lord had warned him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 27The prophet said to his sons, &#8220;Saddle the donkey for me,&#8221; and they did so. 28Then he went out and found the body lying on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The lion had neither eaten the body nor mauled the donkey. 29So the prophet picked up the body of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back to his own city to mourn for him and bury him. 30Then he laid the body in his own tomb, and they mourned over him and said, &#8220;Alas, my brother!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 31After burying him, he said to his sons, &#8220;When I die, bury me in the grave where the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones. 32For the message he declared by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines on the high places in the towns of Samaria will certainly come true.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 33Even after this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways, but once more appointed priests for the high places from all sorts of people. Anyone who wanted to become a priest he consecrated for the high places. 34This was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its downfall and to its destruction from the face of the earth.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1KI">
 <div class="chapter ch14" data-usfm="1KI.14">
 <div class="label">14</div><div class="s1">Ahijah&#8217;s Prophecy Against Jeroboam</div><div class="p"> 1At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam became ill, 2and Jeroboam said to his wife, &#8220;Go, disguise yourself, so you won&#8217;t be recognized as the wife of Jeroboam. Then go to Shiloh. Ahijah the prophet is there&#8212;the one who told me I would be king over this people. 3Take ten loaves of bread with you, some cakes and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.&#8221; 4So Jeroboam&#8217;s wife did what he said and went to Ahijah&#8217;s house in Shiloh.</div><div class="p">Now Ahijah could not see; his sight was gone because of his age. 5But the Lord had told Ahijah, &#8220;Jeroboam&#8217;s wife is coming to ask you about her son, for he is ill, and you are to give her such and such an answer. When she arrives, she will pretend to be someone else.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6So when Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps at the door, he said, &#8220;Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why this pretense? I have been sent to you with bad news. 7Go, tell Jeroboam that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: &#8216;I raised you up from among the people and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. 8I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, but you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commands and followed me with all his heart, doing only what was right in my eyes. 9You have done more evil than all who lived before you. You have made for yourself other gods, idols made of metal; you have aroused my anger and turned your back on me.</div><div class="p"> 10&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Because of this, I am going to bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam. I will cut off from Jeroboam every last male in Israel&#8212;slave or free.#14:10 Or Israel&#8212;every ruler or leader I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns dung, until it is all gone. 11Dogs will eat those belonging to Jeroboam who die in the city, and the birds will feed on those who die in the country. The Lord has spoken!&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 12&#8220;As for you, go back home. When you set foot in your city, the boy will die. 13All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. He is the only one belonging to Jeroboam who will be buried, because he is the only one in the house of Jeroboam in whom the Lord, the God of Israel, has found anything good.</div><div class="p"> 14&#8220;The Lord will raise up for himself a king over Israel who will cut off the family of Jeroboam. Even now this is beginning to happen.#14:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain. 15And the Lord will strike Israel, so that it will be like a reed swaying in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that he gave to their ancestors and scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they aroused the Lord&#8217;s anger by making Asherah poles.#14:15 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah; here and elsewhere in 1 Kings 16And he will give Israel up because of the sins Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to commit.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17Then Jeroboam&#8217;s wife got up and left and went to Tirzah. As soon as she stepped over the threshold of the house, the boy died. 18They buried him, and all Israel mourned for him, as the Lord had said through his servant the prophet Ahijah.</div><div class="p"> 19The other events of Jeroboam&#8217;s reign, his wars and how he ruled, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel. 20He reigned for twenty-two years and then rested with his ancestors. And Nadab his son succeeded him as king.</div><div class="s1">Rehoboam King of Judah</div><div class="p"> 21Rehoboam son of Solomon was king in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel in which to put his Name. His mother&#8217;s name was Naamah; she was an Ammonite.</div><div class="p"> 22Judah did evil in the eyes of the Lord. By the sins they committed they stirred up his jealous anger more than those who were before them had done. 23They also set up for themselves high places, sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. 24There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land; the people engaged in all the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.</div><div class="p"> 25In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. 26He carried off the treasures of the temple of the Lord and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made. 27So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned these to the commanders of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace. 28Whenever the king went to the Lord&#8217;s temple, the guards bore the shields, and afterward they returned them to the guardroom.</div><div class="p"> 29As for the other events of Rehoboam&#8217;s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 30There was continual warfare between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. 31And Rehoboam rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. His mother&#8217;s name was Naamah; she was an Ammonite. And Abijah#14:31 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (see also 2 Chron. 12:16); most Hebrew manuscripts Abijam his son succeeded him as king.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1KI">
 <div class="chapter ch15" data-usfm="1KI.15">
 <div class="label">15</div><div class="s1">Abijah King of Judah</div><div class="p"> 1In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah#15:1 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (see also 2 Chron. 12:16); most Hebrew manuscripts Abijam; also in verses 7 and 8 became king of Judah, 2and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother&#8217;s name was Maakah daughter of Abishalom.#15:2 A variant of Absalom; also in verse 10</div><div class="p"> 3He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been. 4Nevertheless, for David&#8217;s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong. 5For David had done what was right in the eyes of the Lord and had not failed to keep any of the Lord&#8217;s commands all the days of his life&#8212;except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.</div><div class="p"> 6There was war between Abijah#15:6 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac Abijam (that is, Abijah); most Hebrew manuscripts Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout Abijah&#8217;s lifetime. 7As for the other events of Abijah&#8217;s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 8And Abijah rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. And Asa his son succeeded him as king.</div><div class="s1">Asa King of Judah</div><div class="p"> 9In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah, 10and he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother&#8217;s name was Maakah daughter of Abishalom.</div><div class="p"> 11Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done. 12He expelled the male shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his ancestors had made. 13He even deposed his grandmother Maakah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah. Asa cut it down and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 14Although he did not remove the high places, Asa&#8217;s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life. 15He brought into the temple of the Lord the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.</div><div class="p"> 16There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their reigns. 17Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.</div><div class="p"> 18Asa then took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord&#8217;s temple and of his own palace. He entrusted it to his officials and sent them to Ben-Hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus. 19&#8220;Let there be a treaty between me and you,&#8221; he said, &#8220;as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you a gift of silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. He conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maakah and all Kinnereth in addition to Naphtali. 21When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and withdrew to Tirzah. 22Then King Asa issued an order to all Judah&#8212;no one was exempt&#8212;and they carried away from Ramah the stones and timber Baasha had been using there. With them King Asa built up Geba in Benjamin, and also Mizpah.</div><div class="p"> 23As for all the other events of Asa&#8217;s reign, all his achievements, all he did and the cities he built, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? In his old age, however, his feet became diseased. 24Then Asa rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of his father David. And Jehoshaphat his son succeeded him as king.</div><div class="s1">Nadab King of Israel</div><div class="p"> 25Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 26He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the ways of his father and committing the same sin his father had caused Israel to commit.</div><div class="p"> 27Baasha son of Ahijah from the tribe of Issachar plotted against him, and he struck him down at Gibbethon, a Philistine town, while Nadab and all Israel were besieging it. 28Baasha killed Nadab in the third year of Asa king of Judah and succeeded him as king.</div><div class="p"> 29As soon as he began to reign, he killed Jeroboam&#8217;s whole family. He did not leave Jeroboam anyone that breathed, but destroyed them all, according to the word of the Lord given through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. 30This happened because of the sins Jeroboam had committed and had caused Israel to commit, and because he aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel.</div><div class="p"> 31As for the other events of Nadab&#8217;s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 32There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their reigns.</div><div class="s1">Baasha King of Israel</div><div class="p"> 33In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king of all Israel in Tirzah, and he reigned twenty-four years. 34He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the ways of Jeroboam and committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1KI">
 <div class="chapter ch16" data-usfm="1KI.16">
 <div class="label">16</div><div class="p"> 1Then the word of the Lord came to Jehu son of Hanani concerning Baasha: 2&#8220;I lifted you up from the dust and appointed you ruler over my people Israel, but you followed the ways of Jeroboam and caused my people Israel to sin and to arouse my anger by their sins. 3So I am about to wipe out Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat. 4Dogs will eat those belonging to Baasha who die in the city, and birds will feed on those who die in the country.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 5As for the other events of Baasha&#8217;s reign, what he did and his achievements, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 6Baasha rested with his ancestors and was buried in Tirzah. And Elah his son succeeded him as king.</div><div class="p"> 7Moreover, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani to Baasha and his house, because of all the evil he had done in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger by the things he did, becoming like the house of Jeroboam&#8212;and also because he destroyed it.</div><div class="s1">Elah King of Israel</div><div class="p"> 8In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah two years.</div><div class="p"> 9Zimri, one of his officials, who had command of half his chariots, plotted against him. Elah was in Tirzah at the time, getting drunk in the home of Arza, the palace administrator at Tirzah. 10Zimri came in, struck him down and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah. Then he succeeded him as king.</div><div class="p"> 11As soon as he began to reign and was seated on the throne, he killed off Baasha&#8217;s whole family. He did not spare a single male, whether relative or friend. 12So Zimri destroyed the whole family of Baasha, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken against Baasha through the prophet Jehu&#8212; 13because of all the sins Baasha and his son Elah had committed and had caused Israel to commit, so that they aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by their worthless idols.</div><div class="p"> 14As for the other events of Elah&#8217;s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?</div><div class="s1">Zimri King of Israel</div><div class="p"> 15In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned in Tirzah seven days. The army was encamped near Gibbethon, a Philistine town. 16When the Israelites in the camp heard that Zimri had plotted against the king and murdered him, they proclaimed Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that very day there in the camp. 17Then Omri and all the Israelites with him withdrew from Gibbethon and laid siege to Tirzah. 18When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the royal palace and set the palace on fire around him. So he died, 19because of the sins he had committed, doing evil in the eyes of the Lord and following the ways of Jeroboam and committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.</div><div class="p"> 20As for the other events of Zimri&#8217;s reign, and the rebellion he carried out, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?</div><div class="s1">Omri King of Israel</div><div class="p"> 21Then the people of Israel were split into two factions; half supported Tibni son of Ginath for king, and the other half supported Omri. 22But Omri&#8217;s followers proved stronger than those of Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri became king.</div><div class="p"> 23In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned twelve years, six of them in Tirzah. 24He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents#16:24 That is, about 150 pounds or about 68 kilograms of silver and built a city on the hill, calling it Samaria, after Shemer, the name of the former owner of the hill.</div><div class="p"> 25But Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord and sinned more than all those before him. 26He followed completely the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit, so that they aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by their worthless idols.</div><div class="p"> 27As for the other events of Omri&#8217;s reign, what he did and the things he achieved, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 28Omri rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. And Ahab his son succeeded him as king.</div><div class="s1">Ahab Becomes King of Israel</div><div class="p"> 29In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. 30Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. 31He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. 32He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him.</div><div class="p"> 34In Ahab&#8217;s time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua son of Nun.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1KI">
 <div class="chapter ch17" data-usfm="1KI.17">
 <div class="label">17</div><div class="s1">Elijah Announces a Great Drought</div><div class="p"> 1Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe#17:1 Or Tishbite, of the settlers in Gilead, said to Ahab, &#8220;As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Elijah Fed by Ravens</div><div class="p"> 2Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: 3&#8220;Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. 4You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 5So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. 6The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.</div><div class="s1">Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath</div><div class="p"> 7Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9&#8220;Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.&#8221; 10So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, &#8220;Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?&#8221; 11As she was going to get it, he called, &#8220;And bring me, please, a piece of bread.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12&#8220;As surely as the Lord your God lives,&#8221; she replied, &#8220;I don&#8217;t have any bread&#8212;only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it&#8212;and die.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13Elijah said to her, &#8220;Don&#8217;t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: &#8216;The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.</div><div class="p"> 17Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. 18She said to Elijah, &#8220;What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 19&#8220;Give me your son,&#8221; Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. 20Then he cried out to the Lord, &#8220;Lord my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?&#8221; 21Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, &#8220;Lord my God, let this boy&#8217;s life return to him!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22The Lord heard Elijah&#8217;s cry, and the boy&#8217;s life returned to him, and he lived. 23Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, &#8220;Look, your son is alive!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 24Then the woman said to Elijah, &#8220;Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1KI">
 <div class="chapter ch18" data-usfm="1KI.18">
 <div class="label">18</div><div class="s1">Elijah and Obadiah</div><div class="p"> 1After a long time, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah: &#8220;Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.&#8221; 2So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab.</div><div class="p">Now the famine was severe in Samaria, 3and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, his palace administrator. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the Lord. 4While Jezebel was killing off the Lord&#8217;s prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.) 5Ahab had said to Obadiah, &#8220;Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we will not have to kill any of our animals.&#8221; 6So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another.</div><div class="p"> 7As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, &#8220;Is it really you, my lord Elijah?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8&#8220;Yes,&#8221; he replied. &#8220;Go tell your master, &#8216;Elijah is here.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9&#8220;What have I done wrong,&#8221; asked Obadiah, &#8220;that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death? 10As surely as the Lord your God lives, there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you. 11But now you tell me to go to my master and say, &#8216;Elijah is here.&#8217; 12I don&#8217;t know where the Spirit of the Lord may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn&#8217;t find you, he will kill me. Yet I your servant have worshiped the Lord since my youth. 13Haven&#8217;t you heard, my lord, what I did while Jezebel was killing the prophets of the Lord? I hid a hundred of the Lord&#8217;s prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water. 14And now you tell me to go to my master and say, &#8216;Elijah is here.&#8217; He will kill me!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15Elijah said, &#8220;As the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Elijah on Mount Carmel</div><div class="p"> 16So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17When he saw Elijah, he said to him, &#8220;Is that you, you troubler of Israel?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18&#8220;I have not made trouble for Israel,&#8221; Elijah replied. &#8220;But you and your father&#8217;s family have. You have abandoned the Lord&#8217;s commands and have followed the Baals. 19Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel&#8217;s table.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. 21Elijah went before the people and said, &#8220;How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.&#8221;</div><div class="p">But the people said nothing.</div><div class="p"> 22Then Elijah said to them, &#8220;I am the only one of the Lord&#8217;s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23Get two bulls for us. Let Baal&#8217;s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire&#8212;he is God.&#8221;</div><div class="p">Then all the people said, &#8220;What you say is good.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 25Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, &#8220;Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.&#8221; 26So they took the bull given them and prepared it.</div><div class="p">Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. &#8220;Baal, answer us!&#8221; they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.</div><div class="p"> 27At noon Elijah began to taunt them. &#8220;Shout louder!&#8221; he said. &#8220;Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.&#8221; 28So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 29Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.</div><div class="p"> 30Then Elijah said to all the people, &#8220;Come here to me.&#8221; They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. 31Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, &#8220;Your name shall be Israel.&#8221; 32With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs#18:32 That is, probably about 24 pounds or about 11 kilograms of seed. 33He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, &#8220;Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 34&#8220;Do it again,&#8221; he said, and they did it again.</div><div class="p">&#8220;Do it a third time,&#8221; he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.</div><div class="p"> 36At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: &#8220;Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 38Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.</div><div class="p"> 39When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, &#8220;The Lord&#8212;he is God! The Lord&#8212;he is God!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 40Then Elijah commanded them, &#8220;Seize the prophets of Baal. Don&#8217;t let anyone get away!&#8221; They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there.</div><div class="p"> 41And Elijah said to Ahab, &#8220;Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.&#8221; 42So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.</div><div class="p"> 43&#8220;Go and look toward the sea,&#8221; he told his servant. And he went up and looked.</div><div class="p">&#8220;There is nothing there,&#8221; he said.</div><div class="p">Seven times Elijah said, &#8220;Go back.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 44The seventh time the servant reported, &#8220;A cloud as small as a man&#8217;s hand is rising from the sea.&#8221;</div><div class="p">So Elijah said, &#8220;Go and tell Ahab, &#8216;Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 45Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. 46The power of the Lord came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1KI">
 <div class="chapter ch19" data-usfm="1KI.19">
 <div class="label">19</div><div class="s1">Elijah Flees to Horeb</div><div class="p"> 1Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, &#8220;May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3Elijah was afraid#19:3 Or Elijah saw and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4while he himself went a day&#8217;s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. &#8220;I have had enough, Lord,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.&#8221; 5Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.</div><div class="p">All at once an angel touched him and said, &#8220;Get up and eat.&#8221; 6He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.</div><div class="p"> 7The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, &#8220;Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.&#8221; 8So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9There he went into a cave and spent the night.</div><div class="s1">The Lord Appears to Elijah</div><div class="p">And the word of the Lord came to him: &#8220;What are you doing here, Elijah?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10He replied, &#8220;I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11The Lord said, &#8220;Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.&#8221;</div><div class="p">Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.</div><div class="p">Then a voice said to him, &#8220;What are you doing here, Elijah?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14He replied, &#8220;I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15The Lord said to him, &#8220;Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel&#8212;all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Call of Elisha</div><div class="p"> 19So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. 20Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. &#8220;Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,&#8221; he said, &#8220;and then I will come with you.&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;Go back,&#8221; Elijah replied. &#8220;What have I done to you?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 21So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.</div>
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