Bible Reading Plan

1 Kings 17

Chapter 17

Elijah Announces Famine

¹ Now Elijah^(a) the Tishbite, from the Gilead settlers,^[a](b) said to Ahab, "As the Lord God of Israel lives,^(c) I stand before Him, and there will be no dew or rain during these years except by my command!"^(d)

² Then a revelation from the Lord came to him: ³ "Leave here, turn eastward, and hide^(e) yourself at the Wadi Cherith where it enters the Jordan. ⁴ You are to drink from the wadi. I have commanded the ravens^(f) to provide for you there."

⁵ So he did what the Lord commanded. Elijah left and lived by the Wadi Cherith where it enters the Jordan. ⁶ The ravens kept bringing him bread and meat in the morning and in the evening,^(g) and he drank from the wadi. ⁷ After a while, the wadi dried up because there had been no rain in the land.

Elijah and the Widow

⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to him: ⁹ "Get up, go to Zarephath^(h) that belongs to Sidon and stay there. Look, I have commanded a woman who is a widow to provide for you there." ¹⁰ So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow woman gathering wood. Elijah called to her and said, "Please bring me a little water in a cup and let me drink."^{(i) 11} As she went to get it, he called to her and said, "Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand."

¹² But she said, "As the Lord your God lives,^(j) I don't have anything baked—only a handful of flour in the jar and a bit of oil^(k) in the jug. Just now, I am gathering a couple of sticks in order to go prepare it for myself and my son so we can eat it and die."^(l)

¹³ Then Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid; go and do as you have said. But first make me a small loaf from it and bring it out to me. Afterward, you may make some for yourself and your son, ¹⁴ for this is what the Lord God of Israel says, ‘The flour jar will not become empty and the oil jug will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the surface of the land."^(m)

¹⁵ So she proceeded to do according to the word of Elijah. Then the woman, Elijah, and her household ate for many days.^{(n) 16} The flour jar did not become empty, and the oil jug did not run dry, according to the word of the Lord He had spoken through^[b] Elijah.

The Widow's Son Raised

¹⁷ After this, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. His illness became very severe until no breath remained in him.^{(o) 18} She said to Elijah, "Man of God,^(p) what do we have in common?^(q) Have you come to remind me of my guilt^(r) and to kill my son?"

¹⁹ But Elijah said to her, "Give me your son." So he took him from her arms, brought him up to the upper room^(s) where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. ²⁰ Then he cried out to the Lord ^(t) and said, "My Lord God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow I am staying with by killing her son?" ²¹ Then he stretched himself out over the boy three times.^(u) He cried out to the Lord and said, "My Lord God, please let this boy's life return to him!"

²² So the Lord listened to Elijah's voice, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived.^{(v) 23} Then Elijah took the boy, brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother.^(w) Elijah said, "Look, your son is alive."

²⁴ Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know you are a man of God^(x) and the Lord 's word from your mouth is true."^(y)

Amos 1

Chapter 1

¹ The words of Amos, who was one of the sheep breeders^[a](a) from Tekoa^(b)—what he saw regarding Israel in the days of Uzziah,^(c) king of Judah, and Jeroboam^(d) son of Jehoash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.^(e)

² He said:

Judgment on Israel's Neighbors

³ The Lord says:

⁶ The Lord says:

⁹ The Lord says:

¹¹ The Lord says:

¹³ The Lord says:

1 Corinthians 4

Chapter 4

The Faithful Manager

¹ A person should consider us in this way: as servants^(a) of Christ and managers^(b) of God's mysteries.^{(c) 2} In this regard, it is expected of managers that each one of them be found faithful.^{(d) 3} It is of little^(e) importance to me that I should be evaluated^(f) by you or by any human court.^[a] In fact, I don't even evaluate myself. ⁴ For I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified^(g) by this. The One who evaluates me is the Lord. ⁵ Therefore don't judge^(h) anything prematurely, before the Lord comes,⁽ⁱ⁾ who will both bring to light what is hidden in darkness and reveal the intentions of the hearts. And then praise will come to each one from God.^(j)

The Apostles' Example of Humility

⁶ Now, brothers,^(k) I have applied these things to myself and Apollos^(l) for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the saying: "Nothing beyond what is written."^[b] The purpose is that none of you will be inflated with pride in favor of one person over another. ⁷ For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you didn't receive? If, in fact, you did receive it, why do you boast as if you hadn't received it? ⁸ You are already full! You are already rich! You have begun to reign as kings without us—and I wish you did reign, so that we could also reign with you! ⁹ For I think God has displayed us, the apostles, in last place, like men condemned to die: We have become a spectacle to the world and to angels and to men. ¹⁰ We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ!^(m) We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! ¹¹ Up to the present hour we are both hungry and thirsty; we are poorly clothed, roughly treated, homeless; ¹² we labor, working⁽ⁿ⁾ with our own hands.^(o) When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; ¹³ when we are slandered, we respond graciously. Even now, we are like the world's garbage, like the dirt everyone scrapes off their sandals.^(p)

Paul's Fatherly Care

¹⁴ I'm not writing this to shame you, but to warn you as my dear children.^{(q) 15} For you can have 10,000 instructors in Christ, but you can't have many fathers. For I became your father^(r) in Christ Jesus through the gospel. ¹⁶ Therefore I urge you to imitate me. ¹⁷ This is why I have sent^(s) Timothy to you. He is my dearly loved and faithful^(t) son in the Lord. He will remind you about my ways in Christ Jesus, just as I teach everywhere in every church. ¹⁸ Now some are inflated with pride, as though I were not coming to you. ¹⁹ But I will come to you soon,^(u) if the Lord wills, and I will know not the talk but the power of those who are inflated with pride. ²⁰ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. ²¹ What do you want? Should I come to you with a rod,^(v) or in love and a spirit of gentleness?^(w)