The One Year Bible TLB (135 page)
Read The One Year Bible TLB Online
Authors: Tyndale
A true friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.
18
It is poor judgment to countersign another’s note, to become responsible for his debts.
June 21After King Ahab’s death the nation of Moab declared its independence and refused to pay tribute to Israel any longer.
2
Israel’s new king, Ahaziah, had fallen off the upstairs porch of his palace at Samaria and was seriously injured. He sent messengers to the temple of the god Baal-zebub at Ekron to ask whether he would recover.
3
But the Angel of the Lord told Elijah the prophet,
*
“Go and meet the messengers and ask them, ‘Is it true that there is no God in Israel? Is that why you are going to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether the king will get well?
4-5
Because King Ahaziah has done this, the Lord says that he will never leave the bed he is lying on; he will surely die.’”
When Elijah told the messengers this, they returned immediately to the king.
“Why have you returned so soon?” he asked them.
6
“A man came up to us,” they said, “and told us to go back to the king and tell him, ‘The Lord wants to know why you are asking questions of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron. Is it because there is no God in Israel? Now, since you have done this, you will not leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.’”
7
“Who was this fellow?” the king demanded. “What did he look like?”
8
“He was a hairy man,” they replied, “with a wide leather belt.”
“It was Elijah the prophet!” the king exclaimed.
9
Then he sent an army captain with fifty soldiers to arrest him. They found him sitting on top of a hill. The captain said to him, “O man of God, the king has commanded you to come along with us.”
10
But Elijah replied, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!” Then lightning struck them and killed them all!
11
So the king sent another captain with fifty men to demand, “O man of God, the king says that you must come down right away.”
12
Elijah replied, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men.” And again the fire from God burned them up.
13
Once more the king sent fifty men, but this time the captain fell to his knees before Elijah and pleaded with him, “O man of God, please spare my life and the lives of these, your fifty servants.
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Have mercy on us! Don’t destroy us as you did the others.”
15
Then the Angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Don’t be afraid. Go with him.” So Elijah went to the king.
16
“Why did you send messengers to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask about your sickness?” Elijah demanded. “Is it because there is no God in Israel to ask? Because you have done this, you shall not leave this bed; you will surely die.”
17
So Ahaziah died as the Lord had predicted through Elijah, and his brother Joram
*
became the new king—for Ahaziah did not have a son to succeed him. This occurred in the second year of the reign of King Jehoram (son of Jehoshaphat) of Judah.
18
The rest of the history of Ahaziah’s reign is recorded in
The Annals of the Kings of Israel.
2:
1-2
Now the time came for the Lord to take Elijah to heaven—by means of a whirlwind! Elijah said to Elisha as they left Gilgal, “Stay here, for the Lord has told me to go to Bethel.”
But Elisha replied, “I swear to God that I won’t leave you!”
So they went on together to Bethel.
3
There the young prophets of Bethel Seminary came out to meet them and asked Elisha, “Did you know that the Lord is going to take Elijah away from you today?”
“Quiet!” Elisha snapped. “Of course I know it.”
4
Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here in Bethel, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.”
But Elisha replied again, “I swear to God that I won’t leave you.” So they went on together to Jericho.
5
Then the students at Jericho Seminary came to Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take away your master today?”
“Will you please be quiet?” he commanded. “Of course I know it!”
6-7
Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan River.”
But Elisha replied as before, “I swear to God that I won’t leave you.”
So they went on together and stood beside the Jordan River as fifty of the young prophets watched from a distance.
8
Then Elijah folded his cloak together and struck the water with it; and the river divided and they went across on dry ground!
9
When they arrived on the other side Elijah said to Elisha, “What wish shall I grant you before I am taken away?”
And Elisha replied, “Please grant me twice as much prophetic power as you have had.”
10
“You have asked a hard thing,” Elijah replied. “If you see me when I am taken from you, then you will get your request. But if not, then you won’t.”
11
As they were walking along, talking, suddenly a chariot of fire, drawn by horses of fire, appeared and drove between them, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven.
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Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariot of Israel and the charioteers!”
As they disappeared from sight he tore his robe.
13-14
Then he picked up Elijah’s cloak and returned to the bank of the Jordan River, and struck the water with it.
“Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” he cried out. And the water parted and Elisha went across!
15
When the young prophets of Jericho saw what had happened, they exclaimed, “The spirit of Elijah rests upon Elisha!” And they went to meet him and greeted him respectfully.
16
“Sir,” they said, “just say the word and fifty of our best athletes will search the wilderness for your master; perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has left him on some mountain or in some ravine.”
“No,” Elisha said, “don’t bother.”
17
But they kept urging until he was embarrassed and finally said, “All right, go ahead.” Then fifty men searched for three days, but didn’t find him.
18
Elisha was still at Jericho when they returned. “Didn’t I tell you not to go?” he growled.
19
Now a delegation of the city officials of Jericho visited Elisha. “We have a problem,” they told him. “This city is located in beautiful natural surroundings, as you can see; but the water is bad and causes our women to have miscarriages.”
*
20
“Well,” he said, “bring me a new bowl filled with salt.” So they brought it to him.
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Then he went out to the city well and threw the salt in and declared, “The Lord has healed these waters. They shall no longer cause death or miscarriage.”
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And sure enough! The water was purified, just as Elisha had said.
23
From Jericho he went to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, a gang of young men from the city began mocking and making fun of him because of his bald head.
24
He turned around and cursed them in the name of the Lord; and two female bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of them.
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Then he went to Mount Carmel and finally returned to Samaria.
As the people left the synagogue that day, they asked Paul to return and speak to them again the next week.
43
And many Jews and godly Gentiles who worshiped at the synagogue followed Paul and Barnabas down the street as the two men urged them to accept the mercies God was offering.
44
The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the Word of God.
45
But when the Jewish leaders
*
saw the crowds, they were jealous, and cursed and argued against whatever Paul said.
46
Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that this Good News from God should be given first to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and shown yourselves unworthy of eternal life—well, we will offer it to Gentiles.
47
For this is as the Lord commanded when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to lead them from the farthest corners of the earth to my salvation.’”
48
When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and rejoiced in Paul’s message; and as many as wanted
*
eternal life, believed.
49
So God’s message spread all through that region.
50
Then the Jewish leaders stirred up both the godly women and the civic leaders of the city and incited a mob against Paul and Barnabas, and ran them out of town.
51
But they shook off the dust of their feet against the town and went on to the city of Iconium.
52
And their converts
*
were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
14:
1
At Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went together to the synagogue and preached with such power that many—both Jews and Gentiles—believed.
2
But the Jews who spurned God’s message stirred up distrust among the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas, saying all sorts of evil things about them.
3
Nevertheless, they stayed there a long time, preaching boldly, and the Lord proved their message was from him by giving them power to do great miracles.
4
But the people of the city were divided in their opinion about them. Some agreed with the Jewish leaders, and some backed the apostles.
5-6
When Paul and Barnabas learned of a plot to incite a mob of Gentiles, Jews, and Jewish leaders to attack and stone them, they fled for their lives, going to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra, Derbe, and the surrounding area,
7
and preaching the Good News there.
O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
2
You know when I sit or stand. When far away you know my every thought.
3
You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am.
4
You know what I am going to say before I even say it.
5
You both precede and follow me and place your hand of blessing on my head.
6
This is too glorious, too wonderful to believe!
7
I can
never
be lost to your Spirit! I can
never
get away from my God!
8
If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there.
9
If I ride the morning winds to the farthest oceans,
10
even there your hand will guide me, your strength will support me.
11
If I try to hide in the darkness, the night becomes light around me.
12
For even darkness cannot hide from God; to you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are both alike to you.
13
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit them together in my mother’s womb.
14
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it.
15
You were there while I was being formed in utter seclusion!
16
You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!
17-18
How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly! I can’t even count how many times a day your thoughts turn toward me.
*
And when I waken in the morning, you are still thinking of me!
19
Surely you will slay the wicked, Lord! Away, bloodthirsty men! Begone!
20
They blaspheme your name and stand in arrogance against you—how silly can they be?
21
O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you? Shouldn’t I be grieved with them?
22
Yes, I hate them, for your enemies are my enemies too.
23
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test my thoughts.
24
Point out anything you find in me that makes you sad, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Sinners love to fight; boasting is looking for trouble.
20
An evil man is suspicious of everyone
*
and tumbles into constant trouble.
21
It’s no fun to be a rebel’s father.