the Fifth Week after Easter
Click here to join the effort!
Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
July 26 - Bible-in-a-Year
nas
2 Kings 6:1-7:2
Chapter 6
The Axe Head Recovered
1 Now (C1)the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, "Behold now, the place (F1)before you where we are living is too cramped for us.2 "Please let us go to the Jordan, and let us each take from there a beam, and let us construct a place there for ourselves, to live there." So he said, "Go."3 Then one of them said, "Please agree and go with your servants." And he said, "I will go."4 So he went with them; and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees.5 But it happened that as one of them was (F1)cutting down a beam, (F2)the axe head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, "Oh, my master! It was borrowed!"6 Then the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" And when he showed him the place, (C1)he cut off a stick and threw it in there, and made the iron float.7 Then he said, "Pick it up for yourself." So he reached out his hand and took it.
The Arameans Plot to Capture Elisha
8 Now the king of Aram was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, "In such and such a place shall be my camp."9 But (C1)the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, saying, "Be careful that you do not pass this place, because the Arameans are coming down there."10 And the king of Israel sent scouts to the place about which the man of God had told him; so he warned him, so that he was on his guard there, (F1)more than once or twice.
11 Now the heart of the king of Aram was enraged over this matter; and he called his servants and said to them, "Will you not tell me which of us is for the king of Israel?"12 One of his servants said, "No, my lord, the king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom."13 So he said, "Go and see where he is, so that I may send men and take him." And it was told to him, saying, "Behold, he is in (C1)Dothan."14 So he sent horses and chariots and a substantial army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city.
15 Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, "This is hopeless, my master! (F1)What are we to do?"16 And he said, "(C1)Do not be afraid, for (C2)those who are with us are (F1)greater than those who are with them."17 Then Elisha prayed and said, "(C1)LORD, please, open his eyes so that he may see." And the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of (C2)horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, "Please strike this (F1)people with blindness." So He (C1)struck them with blindness in accordance with the word of Elisha.19 Then Elisha said to them, "This is not the way, nor is this the city; follow me and I will bring you to the man whom you seek." And he brought them to Samaria.
20 When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, "(C1)LORD, open the eyes of these men, so that they may see." So the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.21 Then the king of Israel when he saw them, said to Elisha, "(C1)My father, shall I (F1)kill them? Shall I (F1)kill them?"22 But he (F1)answered, "You shall not (F2)kill them. Would you (F2)(C1)kill those whom you have taken captive with your sword and your bow? (C2)Set bread and water before them, so that they may eat and drink, and go to their master."23 So he provided a large feast for them; and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And (C1)the marauding bands of Arameans did not come again into the land of Israel.
The Siege of Samaria—Cannibalism
24 Now it came about after this, that (C1)Ben-hadad the king of Aram gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria.25 So there was a severe (C1)famine in Samaria; and behold, they kept besieging it until a donkey's head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a fourth of a (F1)kab of dove's dung for five shekels of silver.26 And as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, "Help, my lord the king!"27 But he said, "(F1)If the LORD does not help you, from where am I to help you? From the threshing floor, or from the wine press?"28 Then the king said to her, "(C1)What (F1)is on your mind?" And she said, "This woman said to me, 'Give your son so that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.'29 "(C1)So we cooked my son and ate him; and I said to her on the next day, 'Give your son, so that we may eat him'; but she has hidden her son."30 When the king heard the woman's words, (C1)he tore his clothes—and he was passing by on the wall—and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth (F1)underneath on his (F2)body.31 Then he said, "May (C1)God do so to me and more so, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat (F1)remains on him today."
32 Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and (C1)the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man from his presence; but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, "Do you (C2)see how this son of a murderer has sent a man to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and (F1)hold the door shut against him. Is the sound of his master's feet not behind him?"33 While he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him and he said, "(C1)Behold, this evil is from the LORD; why should I wait for the LORD any longer?"
Chapter 7
Elisha Promises Food
1 Then Elisha said, "Listen to the word of the LORD; this is what the LORD says: '(C1)About this time tomorrow a (F1)measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.'"2 (C1)The royal officer on whose hand the king was leaning responded to the man of God and said, "(C2)Even if the LORD were to make (F1)windows in heaven, could this thing happen?" Then he said, "Behold, you are going to see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat (F2)any of it."<
Jonah 1
Chapter 1
Jonah's Disobedience
1 The word of the LORD came to (C1)Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,2 "Arise, go to (C1)Nineveh, the great city, and (C2)cry out against it, because their (C3)wickedness has come up before Me."3 But Jonah got up to flee to (C1)Tarshish (C2)from the presence of the LORD. So he went down to (C3)Joppa, found a ship that was going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and (F1)boarded it to go with them to Tarshish away from the presence of the LORD.
4 However, the (C1)LORD hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea, so that the ship was about to (F1)break up.5 Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried out to (C1)his (F1)god, and they (C2)hurled the (F2)cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it (F3)for them. But Jonah had gone below into the stern of the ship, had lain down, and fallen sound asleep.6 So the captain approached him and said, "How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, (C1)call on your god! Perhaps your (C2)god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish."
7 And each man said to his mate, "Come, let's (C1)cast lots so that we may (F1)find out on whose account this catastrophe has struck us." So they cast lots, and the (C2)lot fell on Jonah.8 Then they said to him, "(C1)Tell us, now! On whose account has this catastrophe struck us? What is your (C2)occupation, and where do you come from? What is your country, and from what people are you?"9 So he said to them, "I am a (C1)Hebrew, and I (C2)fear the LORD (C3)God of heaven who (C4)made the sea and the dry land."
10 Then the men became extremely afraid, and they said to him, "(F1)How could you do this?" For the men knew that he was (C1)fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.11 So they said to him, "What should we do to you so that the sea will become calm (F1)for us?"—for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy.12 And he said to them, "Pick me up and hurl me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm (F1)for you, because I know that (C1)on account of me this great storm has come upon you."13 However, the men (F1)rowed desperately to return to land, but they could not, because the sea was becoming even stormier against them.14 Then they cried out to the (C1)LORD and said, "We earnestly pray, O LORD, do not let us perish on account of this man's life, and do not put innocent blood on us; for (C2)You, LORD, have done as You pleased."
15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea (C1)stopped its raging.16 Then the men became extremely afraid of the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made (C1)vows.
17 (F1)And the LORD designated a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the (C1)stomach of the fish for three days and three nights.
1 Corinthians 12
Chapter 12
The Use of Spiritual Gifts
1 Now concerning (C1)spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, (C2)I do not want you to be unaware.2 (C1)You know that when you were (F1)pagans, you were (C2)led (F2)astray to the (C3)mute idols, however you were led.3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking (F1)(C1)by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is (F2)(C2)accursed"; and no one can say, "Jesus is (C3)Lord," except (F1)(C1)by the Holy Spirit.
4 Now there are (C1)varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord.6 There are varieties of effects, but the same (C1)God who works all things in all persons.7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit (C1)for the common good.8 For to one is given the word of (C1)wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of (C2)knowledge according to the same Spirit;9 to another (C1)faith (F1)by the same Spirit, and to another (C2)gifts of (F2)healing (F1)by the one Spirit,10 and to another the (F1)effecting of (F2)(C1)miracles, and to another (C2)prophecy, and to another the (F3)(C3)distinguishing of spirits, to another various (C4)kinds of tongues, and to another the (C5)interpretation of tongues.11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, (C1)distributing to each one individually just as He (F1)wills.
12 For just (C1)as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though they are many, are one body, (C2)so also is Christ.13 For (F1)(C1)by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether (C2)Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to (C3)drink of one Spirit.
14 For (C1)the body is not one part, but many.15 If the foot says, "Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason (F1)any less a part of the body.16 And if the ear says, "Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason (F1)any less a part of the body.17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?18 But now God has (C1)arranged the parts, each one of them in the body, (C2)just as He desired.19 If they were all one part, where would the body be?20 But now (C1)there are many parts, but one body.21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; or again, the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."22 On the contrary, (F1)it is much truer that the parts of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary;23 and those parts of the body which we (F1)consider less honorable, (F2)on these we bestow greater honor, and our less presentable parts become much more presentable,24 whereas our more presentable parts have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that part which lacked,25 so that there may be no (F1)division in the body, but that the parts may have the same care for one another.26 And if one part of the body suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if a part is (F1)honored, all the parts rejoice with it.
27 Now you are (C1)Christ's body, and (C2)individually parts of it.28 And God has (F1)(C1)appointed in (C2)the church, first (C3)apostles, second (C4)prophets, third (C5)teachers, then (F2)(C6)miracles, then (C7)gifts of healings, helps, (C8)administrations, and various (C9)kinds of tongues.29 All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of (F1)miracles, are they?30 All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not (C1)interpret, do they?
31 But (C1)earnestly desire the greater gifts.
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995,2020 by The Lockman Foundation