Study Desk

Then the man of God approached, and he spoke to the king of Israel, and he said, "Thus says Yahweh: ‘Because Aram has said, "Yahweh is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys,"' I will give all this great crowd into your hand that you may know that I am Yahweh."

He said to him, "Because you have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh, look, as you now are going from me, a lion will kill you." When he went from beside him, the lion found him and killed him.

He said to him, "Thus says Yahweh: ‘Because you have let the man I devoted for destruction go from your hand, your life shall be in place of his life and your people in place of his people.'"

Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, "Give me your vineyard that it may be mine for a garden of vegetable plants, because it is near, beside my house, and I will give to you a better vineyard in place of it. If it is better in your eyes, I will give you the money of its price."

Then Ahab went to his house, sullen and angry because of the word that Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him when he had said, "I will not give to you the inheritance of my ancestors." So he lay on his bed, turned away his face, and would not eat any food.

Then Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, my enemy?" He said, "I have found you because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of Yahweh.

I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because you made me angry and have caused Israel to sin.'

"Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring disaster in his days. I will bring the disaster on his house in the days of his son."

Jehoshaphat built ships of the Tarshish type to go to Ophir for the gold; but he did not go because the ships were destroyed at Ezion-Geber.

Then the angel of Yahweh spoke to Elijah the Tishbite, "Get up, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and speak to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?'

Then they said to him, "A man came up to meet us, and he said to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent you and speak to him, "Thus says Yahweh, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron? Therefore the bed upon which you have gone, you will not come down from it, for you will surely die.'"'"

Then the angel of Yahweh spoke to Elijah, "Go down with him. Do not be afraid because of him." So he got up and went down with him to the king,

and he said to him, "Thus says Yahweh, ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel from whom to inquire his word?—therefore the bed upon which you went, you shall not come down from it, for you shall surely die.'"

So he died, according to the word of Yahweh which Elijah had spoken, and Joram became king in his place in the second year of Joram the son of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, because he had no son.

Elijah said to him, "Elisha, please stay here because Yahweh has sent me to Jericho." And he said, "As Yahweh lives and as your soul lives, I will certainly not leave you!" So they came to Jericho.

Then Elijah said to him, "Please stay here, because Yahweh has sent me to the Jordan." He said, "As Yahweh lives and as your soul lives, I will certainly not leave you!" So the two of them went on.

Then the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, "Take care while crossing over to this place, because the Arameans are descending there."

Then the heart of the king of Aram was stormy because of this matter, so he called his servants and said to them, "Can you not tell me who among us sides with the king of Israel?"

Then Hazael asked, "Why is my lord crying?" He said, "Because I know what evil you will do to the Israelites. You will set their fortifications on fire, and you will kill their young men with the sword. Their little ones you will dash to pieces, and their pregnant women you will rip open!"

So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. Now Joram was keeping guard in Ramoth-Gilead, he and all of Israel, because of the threat of Hazael king of Aram.