1 Kings 16–18; Luke 22:47–71

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1 Kings 16–18

And the word of the Lord came to nJehu the son of oHanani against Baasha, saying, Since I pexalted you out of the dust and made you leader over my people Israel, and qyou have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made my people Israel to sin, provoking me to anger with their sins, behold, I will utterly rsweep away sBaasha and his house, and I will make your house tlike the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. uAnyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the field the birds of the heavens shall eat.

Now the rest of the acts of Baasha and what he did, and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? And Baasha slept with his fathers and was buried at vTirzah, and Elah his son reigned in his place. Moreover, the word of the Lord came by the prophet nJehu the son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and also because whe destroyed it.

Elah Reigns in Israel

In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and he reigned two years. But his servant xZimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. When he was at Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, ywho was over the household in Tirzah, 10 Zimri came in and struck him down and killed him, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place.

11 When he began to reign, as soon as he had seated himself on his throne, he struck down zall the house of Baasha. He adid not leave him a single male of his relatives or his friends. 12 Thus Zimri destroyed all the house of Baasha, baccording to the word of the Lord, which he spoke against Baasha by nJehu the prophet, 13 for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned and which they made Israel to sin, cprovoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols. 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 Reigns in Israel

15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah. Now the troops were encamped against dGibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, 16 and the troops who were encamped heard it said, Zimri has conspired, and he has killed the king. Therefore all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp. 17 So Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah. 18 And when Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the king’s house and burned the king’s house over him with fire and died, 19 because of his sins that he committed, doing evil in the sight of the Lord, ewalking in the way of Jeroboam, and for his sin which he committed, making Israel to sin. 20 Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and the conspiracy that he made, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

Omri Reigns in 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, and half followed Omri. 22 But the people who followed Omri overcame the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath. So Tibni died, and Omri became king. 23 In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel, and he reigned for twelve years; six years he reigned in Tirzah. 24 He bought the hill of fSamaria from Shemer for two talents1 of silver, and he fortified the hill and called the name of the city that he built gSamaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill.

25 hOmri did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did more evil ithan all who were before him. 26 For ehe walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in the sins that he made Israel to sin, jprovoking the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger by their idols. 27 Now the rest of the acts of Omri that he did, and the might that he showed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 28 And Omri slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria, and Ahab his son reigned in his place.

Ahab Reigns in Israel

29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. 30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, kmore than all who were before him. 31 And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, lhe took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the mSidonians, nand went and served Baal and worshiped him. 32 He erected an altar for Baal in othe house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made an pAsherah. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger kthan all the kings of Israel who were before him. 34 qIn his days Hiel of Bethel built rJericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.

Elijah Predicts a Drought

Now Elijah the Tishbite, of sTishbe2 in Gilead, said to Ahab, tAs the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, ubefore whom I stand, vthere shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word. And the word of the Lord came to him: Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there. So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

The Widow of Zarephath

Then the word of the Lord came to him, Arise, go to wZarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you. 10 So he arose and went to wZarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there xgathering sticks. And he called to her and said, Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. 11 And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand. 12 And she said, tAs the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die. 13 And Elijah said to her, Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth. 15 And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.

Elijah Raises the Widow’s Son

17 After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. 18 And she said to Elijah, yWhat have you against me, O zman of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son! 19 And he said to her, Give me your son. And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed. 20 And he cried to the Lord, O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son? 21 aThen he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, O Lord my God, let this child’s life3 come into him again. 22 And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and bhe revived. 23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, See, your son lives. 24 And the woman said to Elijah, cNow I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.

Elijah Confronts Ahab

dAfter 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. So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. And Ahab called Obadiah, who was eover the household. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly, and fwhen Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water.) And Ahab said to Obadiah, Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys. Perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, and not lose some of the animals. So they divided the land between them to pass through it. Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in another direction by himself.

And as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him. And Obadiah recognized him and fell on his face and said, Is it you, my lord Elijah? And he answered him, It is I. Go, tell your lord, Behold, Elijah is here. And he said, How have I sinned, that you would give your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me? 10 gAs the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to seek you. And when they would say, He is not here, he would take an oath of the kingdom or nation, that they had not found you. 11 And now you say, Go, tell your lord, Behold, Elijah is here. 12 And as soon as I have gone from you, hthe Spirit of the Lord will carry you I know not where. And so, when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have feared the Lord from my youth. 13 Has it not been told my lord what I did iwhen Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, how I hid a hundred men of the Lord’s prophets by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water? 14 And now you say, Go, tell your lord, Behold, Elijah is here; and he will kill me. 15 And Elijah said, gAs the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today. 16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him. And Ahab went to meet Elijah.

17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, jIs it you, you ktroubler of Israel? 18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have labandoned the commandments of the Lord and mfollowed the Baals. 19 Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount nCarmel, and the o450 prophets of Baal and pthe 400 prophets of Asherah, qwho eat at Jezebel’s table.

The Prophets of Baal Defeated

20 So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, How long rwill you go limping between two different opinions? sIf the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. And the people did not answer him a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, tI, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are u450 men. 23 Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. 24 And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who vanswers by fire, he is God. And all the people answered, It is well spoken. 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it. 26 And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, O Baal, answer us! But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. 27 And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened. 28 And they cried aloud and wcut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. 29 And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of xthe offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.

30 Then Elijah said to all the people, Come near to me. And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been ythrown down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, zIsrael shall be your name, 32 and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs4 of seed. 33 aAnd he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, Fill four jars with water and bpour it on the burnt offering and on the wood. 34 And he said, Do it a second time. And they did it a second time. And he said, Do it a third time. And they did it a third time. 35 And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water.

36 And at the time of cthe offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, O Lord, dGod of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that eyou are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that fI have done all these things at your word. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back. 38 gThen the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, hThe Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God. 40 And Elijah said to them, Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to ithe brook Kishon and jslaughtered them there.

The Lord Sends Rain

41 And Elijah said to Ahab, Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain. 42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. kAnd he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. 43 And he said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up and looked and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again, seven times. 44 And at the seventh time he said, Behold, la little cloud like a man’s hand is rising from the sea. And he said, Go up, say to Ahab, Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you. 45 And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to mJezreel. 46 nAnd the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, oand he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of pJezreel.


Luke 22:47–71

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

47 bWhile he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called cJudas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus said to him, Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss? 49 And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, Lord, shall we strike dwith the sword? 50 And one of them struck the servant1 of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, No more of this! And he touched his ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and eofficers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? 53 When fI was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is gyour hour, and hthe power of darkness.

Peter Denies Jesus

54 iThen they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, jand Peter was following at a distance. 55 kAnd when they had kindled a fire in the middle of lthe courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, This man also was with him. 57 But he denied it, saying, Woman, I do not know him. 58 And a little later someone else saw him and said, You also are one of them. But Peter said, Man, I am not. 59 And after an interval of about an hour still another minsisted, saying, Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean. 60 But Peter said, Man, I do not know what you are talking about. And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and nlooked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, oBefore the rooster crows today, you will pdeny me three times. 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.

Jesus Is Mocked

63 qNow the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. 64 qThey also blindfolded him and kept asking him, rProphesy! rWho is it that struck you? 65 And they said many other things against him, sblaspheming him.

Jesus Before the Council

66 tWhen day came, uthe assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. And they led him away to their vcouncil, and they wsaid, 67 xIf you are ythe Christ, tell us. But he said to them, If I tell you, you will not believe, 68 and if I ask you, you will not answer. 69 But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated zat the right hand of the power of God. 70 So they all said, Are you athe Son of God, then? And he said to them, bYou say that I am. 71 Then they said, What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.