the Week of Proper 8 / Ordinary 13
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July 28 - Bible-in-a-Year
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2 Kings 8
Chapter 8
The Shunammite's Land Restored
1 Elisha said to the woman whose son he had restored to life,(a) "Get ready, you and your household, and go and live as a foreigner wherever you can. For the Lord has announced a seven-year famine,(b) and it has already come to the land."
2 So the woman got ready and did what the man of God said. She and her household lived as foreigners in the land of the Philistines for seven years. 3 When the woman returned from the land of the Philistines at the end of seven years,(c) she went to appeal to the king for her house and field.(d)
4 The king had been speaking to Gehazi,(e) the attendant of the man of God, saying, "Tell me all the great things Elisha has done."
5 While he was telling the king how Elisha restored the dead son to life, the woman whose son he had restored to life came to appeal to the king for her house and field. So Gehazi said, "My lord the king, this is the woman and this is the son Elisha restored to life."(f)
6 When the king asked the woman, she told him the story. So the king appointed a court official for her, saying, "Restore all that was hers, along with all the income from the field from the day she left the country until now."
Aram's King Hazael
7 Elisha came to Damascus(g) while Ben-hadad(h) king of Aram was sick, and the king was told, "The man of God(i) has come here." 8 So the king said to Hazael,(j) "Take a gift(k) with you and go meet the man of God. Inquire of the Lord through him, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?'"(l)
9 Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him a gift: 40 camel-loads of all kinds of goods from Damascus. When he came and stood before him, he said, "Your son,(m) Ben-hadad king of Aram, has sent me to ask you, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?'"
10 Elisha told him, "Go say to him, ‘You are sure to[a] recover.' But the Lord has shown me that he is sure to die." 11 Then Elisha stared steadily at him until Hazael was ashamed.(n)
The man of God wept,(o) 12 and Hazael asked, "Why is my lord weeping?"
He replied, "Because I know the evil you will do to the people of Israel. You will set their fortresses on fire. You will kill their young men with the sword. You will dash their little ones to pieces. You will rip open their pregnant women."(p)
13 Hazael said, "How could your servant, a mere dog,(q) do this monstrous thing?"
Elisha answered, "The Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aram."(r)
14 Hazael left Elisha and went to his master, who asked him, "What did Elisha say to you?"
He responded, "He told me you are sure to recover." 15 The next day Hazael took a heavy cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it over the king's face. Ben-hadad died, and Hazael reigned instead of him.
Judah's King Jehoram
16 In the fifth year(s) of Israel's King Joram(t) son of Ahab, Jehoram[b](u) son of Jehoshaphat became king of Judah, replacing his father.[c](v) 17 He was 32 years old when he became king and reigned eight years in Jerusalem.(w) 18 He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for Ahab's daughter was his wife. He did what was evil in the Lord 's sight.(x) 19 The Lord was unwilling to destroy Judah because of His servant David, since He had promised to give a lamp(y) to David and his sons forever.(z)
20 During Jehoram's reign, Edom rebelled against Judah's control and appointed their own king.(aa) 21 So Jehoram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. Then at night he set out to attack the Edomites who had surrounded him and the chariot commanders, but his troops fled to their tents.(ab) 22 So Edom is still in rebellion against Judah's control today. Libnah(ac) also rebelled at that time.
23 The rest of the events of Jehoram's reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah's Kings.(ad) 24 Jehoram rested with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and his son Ahaziah became king in his place.(ae)
Judah's King Ahaziah
25 In the twelfth year of Israel's King Joram son of Ahab,(af) Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah.(ag) 26 Ahaziah was 22 years old when he became king and reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah, granddaughter of Israel's King Omri.(ah) 27 He walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did what was evil in the Lord 's sight like the house of Ahab,(ai) for he was a son-in-law to Ahab's family.
28 Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to fight against Hazael(aj) king of Aram in Ramoth-gilead,(ak) and the Arameans wounded Joram. 29 So King Joram returned to Jezreel(al) to recover from the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him in Ramoth-gilead[d] when he fought against Aram's King Hazael.(am) Then Judah's King Ahaziah son of Jehoram went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son of Ahab since Joram was ill.
Jonah 3
Chapter 3
Jonah's Preaching
1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time:(a) 2 "Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh(b) and preach(c) the message that I tell you." 3 So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to the Lord 's command.
Now Nineveh was an extremely large city,[a](d) a three-day walk.[b] 4 Jonah set out on the first day of his walk in the city and proclaimed,(e) "In 40 days Nineveh will be demolished!" 5 The men of Nineveh believed in God.[c] They proclaimed a fast(f) and dressed in sackcloth—from the greatest of them to the least.
6 When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, put on sackcloth,(g) and sat in ashes. 7 Then he issued a decree(h) in Nineveh:
By order of the king and his nobles: No man or beast, herd or flock, is to taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink water. 8 Furthermore, both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth, and everyone must call out earnestly to God.(i) Each must turn from his evil ways(j) and from the violence[d] he is doing.[e] 9 Who knows?(k) God may turn and relent; He may turn from His burning anger so that we will not perish.(l)
10 Then God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways(m)—so God relented from the disaster(n) He had threatened to do to them. And He did not do it.
1 Corinthians 14:1-25
Chapter 14
Prophecy: A Superior Gift
1 Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and above all that you may prophesy. 2 For the person who speaks in another language(a) is not speaking to men but to God, since no one understands him; however, he speaks mysteries in the Spirit.[a] 3 But the person who prophesies speaks to people for edification, encouragement, and consolation. 4 The person who speaks in another language builds himself up, but he who prophesies builds up the church. 5 I wish all of you spoke in other languages, but even more that you prophesied. The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in languages, unless he interprets so that the church may be built up.
6 But now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in other languages, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you with a revelation(b) or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? 7 Even inanimate things that produce sounds—whether flute or harp(c)—if they don't make a distinction in the notes, how will what is played on the flute or harp be recognized? 8 In fact, if the trumpet makes an unclear sound, who will prepare for battle?(d) 9 In the same way, unless you use your tongue for intelligible speech, how will what is spoken be known? For you will be speaking into the air. 10 There are doubtless many different kinds of languages in the world, and all have meaning.[b] 11 Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner[c] to the speaker, and the speaker will be a foreigner to me. 12 So also you—since you are zealous(e) for spiritual gifts,[d](f) seek to excel in building up the church.
13 Therefore the person who speaks in another language should pray that he can interpret. 14 For if I pray in another language, my spirit(g) prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.(h) 15 What then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with my understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with my understanding. 16 Otherwise, if you praise with the spirit,[e] how will the uninformed person[f] say "Amen"(i) at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? 17 For you may very well be giving thanks, but the other person is not being built up. 18 I thank(j) God that I speak in other languages more than all of you; 19 yet in the church I would rather speak five words(k) with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than 10,000 words in another language.
20 Brothers, don't be childish in your thinking, but be infants in regard to evil and adult in your thinking.(l) 21 It is written in the law:
I will speak to these people
by people of other languages
and by the lips of foreigners,
and even then, they will not listen to Me,
(m)[g]
says the Lord. 22 It follows that speaking in other languages is intended as a sign,[h] not for believers but for unbelievers. But prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers. 23 Therefore, if the whole church assembles together and all are speaking in other languages and people who are uninformed or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds? 24 But if all are prophesying and some unbeliever or uninformed person comes in, he is convicted by all and is judged by all. 25 The secrets of his heart will be revealed, and as a result he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, "God is really among you."(n)
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