Legacy Standard Bible

1 Kings 19 - 20

Elijah Runs from Jezebel

19Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and 1,ahow he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “aSo may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your 1life as the 2life of one of them by about this time tomorrow.” 3And he 1was afraid and arose and 2ran for his 3life and came to aBeersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his young man there. 4But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree; and ahe asked for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O Yahweh, take my 1life, for I am not better than my fathers.” 5Then he lay down and slept under a broom tree; and behold, there was aan angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat.” 6Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. 7And the angel of Yahweh came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.” 8So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food aforty days and forty nights to bHoreb, the mountain of God.

Elijah at Horeb

9Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, athe word of Yahweh came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10And he said, “aI have been very zealous for Yahweh, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, bpulled down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And cI alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
11So He said, “aGo forth and stand on the mountain before Yahweh.” And behold, Yahweh was passing by! And ba great and strong wind was tearing up the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before Yahweh; but Yahweh was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but Yahweh was not in the earthquake. 12Then after the earthquake a fire, but Yahweh was not in the fire; and after the fire aa sound of a thin 1gentle whisper. 13Now it happened that when Elijah heard it, ahe wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, ba voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14Then he said, “aI have been very zealous for Yahweh, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, pulled down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
15And Yahweh said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and you will arrive and aanoint Hazael king over Aram; 16and aJehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and bElisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. 17“And it will be that the aone who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu bshall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death. 18“aYet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not bkissed him.”

Elijah Puts the Mantle on Elisha

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

Ahab Wars with Aram

20Now aBen-hadad king of Aram gathered all his military force, band there were thirty-two kings with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and cbesieged Samaria and fought against it. 2Then he sent messengers to the city to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, “Thus says Ben-hadad, 3‘Your silver and your gold are mine; your most beautiful wives and children are also mine.’” 4Then the king of Israel answered and said, “It is according to your word, my lord, O king; I am yours, and all that I have.” 5Then the messengers returned and said, “Thus says 1Ben-hadad, ‘Surely, I sent to you saying, “You shall give me your silver and your gold and your wives and your children,” 6but about this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your house and the houses of your servants; and 1whatever is desirable in your eyes, they will put in their hand and carry away.’”
7Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, “Please know and asee how this man is looking for trouble; for he sent to me for my wives and my children and my silver and my gold, and I withheld nothing from him.” 8And all the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen or consent.” 9So he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, “Say to my lord the king, ‘All that you sent for to your servant at the first I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’” And the messengers departed and brought him word again. 10Then Ben-hadad sent to him and said, “May athe gods do so to me and more also, if the dust of Samaria will be sufficient for 1a handful for all the people who 2follow me.” 11Then the king of Israel answered and said, “Speak to him, ‘aLet not him who girds on his armor boast like him who takes it off.’” 12Now it happened that when Ben-hadad heard this message, as ahe was drinking 1with the kings in the booths, he said to his servants, “Station yourselves.” So they stationed themselves against the city.
13Now behold, a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, aI will deliver them into your hand today, and byou shall know that I am Yahweh.’” 14And Ahab said, “By whom?” So he said, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘By the young men of the rulers of the provinces.’” Then he said, “Who shall 1begin the battle?” And he said, “You.” 15Then he mustered the young men of the rulers of the provinces, and there were 232; and after them he mustered all the people, even all the sons of Israel, 7,000.
16And they went out at noon, while aBen-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the booths 1with the thirty-two kings who helped him. 17And the young men of the rulers of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out and they told him, saying, “Men have come out from Samaria.” 18aThen he said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive.”
19So these went out from the city, the young men of the rulers of the provinces, and the military force which followed them. 20And they each struck his man; and the Arameans fled and Israel pursued them, and Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen. 21And the king of Israel went out and struck down the horses and chariots, and struck the Arameans with a great slaughter.
22Then athe prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself and know and see what you have to do; for bat the turn of the year the king of Aram will come up against you.”
23Now the servants of the king of Aram said to him, “aTheir gods are gods of the mountains, therefore they were stronger than we; but rather let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they. 24“Do this thing: remove the kings, each from his place, and put captains in their place, 25and you shall number a military force like the military force that you have lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they.” And he listened to their voice and did so.

Israel Fights the Arameans

26aNow it happened at the turn of the year, that Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to bAphek to fight against Israel. 27Now the sons of Israel were mustered and were provided for and went to meet them; and the sons of Israel camped before them like two little flocks of goats, abut the Arameans filled the land. 28Then aa man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel and said, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Because the Arameans have said, “bYahweh is a god of the mountains, but He is not a god of the valleys,” therefore cI will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am Yahweh.’” 29So they camped one opposite the other seven days. Now it happened that on the seventh day the battle was joined, and the sons of Israel struck down of the Arameans 100,000 foot soldiers in one day. 30But the rest fled to aAphek into the city, and the wall fell on 27,000 men who were left. And Ben-hadad fled and came into the city binto an inner chamber.
31aThen his servants said to him, “Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are kings of lovingkindness, please let us bput sackcloth on our loins and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will preserve your 1life.” 32So athey girded sackcloth on their loins and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, “bYour servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’” And he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” 33Now the men interpreted this as an omen, and hastily 1catching his word said, “Your brother Ben-hadad.” Then he said, “Go, bring him.” Then Ben-hadad came out to him, and he 2took him up into the chariot. 34And Ben-hadad said to him, “aThe cities which my father took from your father I will return, and you shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria.” Ahab said, “And I will let you go with this covenant.” So he cut a covenant with him and let him go.

A Prophecy Enrages Ahab

35Now a certain man of athe sons of the prophets said to 1another bby the word of Yahweh, “Please strike me.” But the man refused to strike him. 36Then he said to him, “Because you have not listened to the voice of Yahweh, behold, as soon as you walk away from me, aa lion will strike you down.” And as soon as he had walked away from him, a lion found him and struck him down. 37Then he found another man and said, “Please 1strike me.” And the man 2struck him, 3wounding him. 38So the prophet walked away and stood by, for the king by the way, and adisguised himself with a bandage over his eyes. 39Now it happened that as the king was passing by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man; if for any reason he is missing, athen your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a 1talent of silver.’ 40“Now it happened that while your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.” And the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it.” 41Then he hastily took the bandage away from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him, that he was of the prophets. 42And he said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore ayour 1life shall go for his 2life, and your people for his people.’” 43So athe king of Israel went to his house sullen and enraged, and came to Samaria.

Matthew 9-10:23

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

9And getting into a boat, Jesus crossed over the sea and came to aHis own city.
2aAnd behold, they brought to Him a bparalytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, “cTake courage, 1son; dyour sins are forgiven.” 3And behold, some of the scribes said 1to themselves, “This man ablasphemes.” 4And Jesus aknowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? 5“For which is easier, to say, ‘aYour sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6“But so that you may know that athe Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He *said to the bparalytic, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home.” 7And he got up and 1went home. 8But when the crowds saw this, they were afraid, and aglorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Matthew and Sinners Called

9aAnd as Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called bMatthew, sitting in the tax office; and He *said to him, “cFollow Me!” And he stood up and followed Him.
101Then it happened that as 2Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and 3sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. 11And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “aWhy is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” 12But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not athose who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. 13“But go and learn 1,awhat this means: ‘bI desire 2compassion, 3and not sacrifice,’ for cI did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

A Question About Fasting

14Then the disciples of John *came to Him, 1asking, “Why do we and athe Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” 15And Jesus said to them, “Can the 1attendants of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16“But no one puts 1a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for 2the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. 17“Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Miracles of Healing

18aWhile He was saying these things to them, behold, 1a synagogue 2official came and 3,bwas bowing down before Him, and said, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.” 19And Jesus got up and began to follow him, and so did His disciples.
20And behold, a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched athe 1fringe of His 2garment; 21for she was saying 1to herself, “If I only atouch His garment, I will 2be saved from this.” 22But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Daughter, atake courage; byour faith has 1saved you.” 2At once the woman was 3saved from her hemorrhage.
23And when Jesus came into the 1official’s house, and saw athe flute-players and the crowd in noisy disorder, 24He was saying, “Leave; for the girl ahas not died, but is asleep.” And they began laughing at Him. 25But awhen the crowd had been sent out, coming in, He btook her by the hand, and the girl 1got up. 26aAnd this news spread throughout all that land.
27And as Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, 1crying out, “Have mercy on us, aSon of David!” 28And when He entered the house, the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus *said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They *said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 29Then He touched their eyes, saying, “1It shall be done to you aaccording to your faith.” 30And their eyes were opened. And Jesus asternly warned them, saying, “See that no one knows about this!” 31But they went out and aspread the news about Him throughout all that land.
32Now as they were going out, behold, aa mute, bdemon-possessed man 1was brought to Him. 33And after the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds marveled, saying, “aNothing like this has 1ever been seen in Israel.” 34But the Pharisees were saying, “He acasts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”
35And Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, ateaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.
36aAnd seeing the crowds, He felt compassion for them, bbecause they were 1distressed and 2downcast like sheep 3without a shepherd. 37Then He *said to His disciples, “aThe harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38“Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

Jesus Appoints the Twelve

10aAnd summoning His twelve disciples, Jesus gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to bheal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.
2aNow the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, bSimon, who is called Peter, and cAndrew his brother; and dJames the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3aPhilip and 1Bartholomew; bThomas and cMatthew the tax collector; dJames the son of Alphaeus, and eThaddaeus; 4Simon the 1Zealot, and aJudas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him.

The Twelve Disciples Sent Out

5aThese twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, “Do not 1go 2in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the bSamaritans; 6but rather go to athe lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7“And as you go, 1preach, saying, ‘aThe kingdom of heaven 2is at hand.’ 8“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. 9“aDo not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, 10or a 1bag for your journey, or even two 2tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for athe worker is worthy of his 3support. 11“And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay there until you leave. 12“Now as you enter the 1house, agive it your 2greeting. 13“And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14“And whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you leave that house or that city, ashake the dust off your feet. 15“Truly I say to you, ait will be more tolerable for the land of bSodom and Gomorrah in cthe day of judgment than for that city.

The Promise of Persecution

16“aBehold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so 1be bshrewd as serpents and cinnocent as doves. 17“But beware of men, for they will deliver you over to the acourts and flog you bin their synagogues; 18and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19“aBut when they deliver you over, bdo not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given to you in that hour what you are to say. 20“For ait is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
21“aAnd brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and bchildren will rise up against parents and 1cause them to be put to death. 22“aAnd you will be hated by all because of My name, but bit is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.
23“But whenever they apersecute you in this city, flee to 1the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel buntil the Son of Man comes.

Psalm 9

Yahweh Will Judge the World in Righteousness

9

א Aleph

For the choir director. 1Almuth-labben. A Psalm of David.
2I will give thanks to Yahweh with all amy heart;I will brecount all Your 3wondrous deeds.

א Aleph

2I will be glad and aexult in You;I will bsing praise to Your name, O cMost High.

ב Beth

3When my enemies turn back,They stumble and aperish before You.4For You have amaintained my 1justice and my cause;You have sat on the throne 2,bjudging righteously.

ג Gimel

5You have arebuked the nations, You have made the wicked perish;You have bblotted out their name forever and ever.

ה He

61The enemy has come to an end in perpetual 2ruins,And You have uprooted the cities;The very amemory of them has perished.

ו Vav

7But aYahweh 1abides forever;He has established His bthrone for judgment,

ו Vav

8And He will ajudge the world in righteousness;He will render justice for the peoples with equity.

ו Vav

91Yahweh also will be a astronghold for the oppressed,A stronghold in times of 2distress;

ו Vav

10And 1those who aknow Your name will put their trust in You,For You, O Yahweh, have not bforsaken those who seek You.

ז Zayin

11Sing praises to Yahweh, who aabides in Zion;bDeclare among the peoples His acts.12For aHe who 1requires blood remembers them;He does not forget bthe cry of the afflicted.

ח Heth

13Be gracious to me, O Yahweh;See my affliction from those awho hate me,You who blift me up from the gates of death,14That I may recount aall Your praises,That in the gates of the daughter of ZionI may brejoice in Your 1salvation.

ט Teth

15The nations have sunk down ain the pit which they have made;In the bnet which they hid, their own foot has been caught.16Yahweh has amade Himself known;He has bexecuted judgment.In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared. 1Higgaion 2 Selah.

י Yodh

17The wicked will 1,areturn to Sheol,Even all the nations who bforget God.

כ Kaph

18For the aneedy will not always be forgotten,Nor the bhope of the afflicted perish forever.19aArise, O Yahweh, do not let man prevail;Let the nations be bjudged before You.20Put them ain fear, O Yahweh;Let the nations know that they are bbut men. Selah.