1 In the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, Jehoram son of Ahab became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria twelve years. 2And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as his father and mother had done. He removed the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made.

3 Nevertheless, he clung to the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.

4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and he would render to the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs and the wool of a hundred thousand rams. 5But after the death of Ahab, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6So at that time King Jehoram set out from Samaria and mobilized all Israel. 7And he sent a message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?”

“I will go,” replied Jehoshaphat. “I am as you are, my people are your people, and my horses are your horses.” 8Then he asked, “Which way shall we go up?”

“By way of the Desert of Edom,” replied Joram.

9 So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom set out, and after they had traveled a roundabout route for seven days, they had no water for their army or for their animals.

10“Alas,” said the king of Israel, “for the Lord has summoned these three kings to deliver them into the hand of Moab!”

11 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here? Let us inquire of the Lord through him.”

And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.”

12 Jehoshaphat affirmed, “The word of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.

13 Elisha, however, said to the king of Israel, “What have we to do with each other? Go to the prophets of your father and of your mother!”

“No,” replied the king of Israel, “for it is the Lord who has summoned these three kings to deliver them into the hand of Moab.”

14 Then Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not for my regard for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you or acknowledge you. 15But now, bring me a harpist.”

And while the harpist played, the hand of the Lord came upon Elisha 16and he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Dig this valley full of ditches.’ 17For the Lord says, ‘You will not see wind or rain, but the valley will be filled with water, and you will drink— you and your cattle and your animals.’ 18This is a simple matter in the sight of the Lord, and He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand. 19And you shall attack every fortified city and every city of importance. You shall cut down every good tree, stop up every spring, and ruin every good field with stones.”

20 The next morning, at the time of the morning sacrifice, water suddenly flowed from the direction of Edom and filled the land.

21 Now all the Moabites had heard that the kings had come up to fight against them. So all who could bear arms, young and old, were summoned and stationed at the border. 22When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water, and it looked as red as blood to the Moabites across the way.

23“This is blood!” they exclaimed. “The kings have clashed swords and slaughtered one another. Now to the plunder, Moab!”

24 But when the Moabites came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and attacked them, and they fled before them. So the Israelites invaded their land and struck down the Moabites. 25They destroyed the cities, and each man threw stones on every good field until it was covered. They stopped up every spring and cut down every good tree. Only Kir-haraseth was left with stones in place, but men with slings surrounded it and attacked it as well.

26 When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not prevail. 27So he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him, and offered him as a burnt offering on the city wall.

And there was great fury against the Israelites, so they withdrew and returned to their ownland.

1 Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And now his creditor is coming to take my two children as his slaves!”

2“How can I help you?” asked Elisha. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?”

She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”

3“Go,” said Elisha, “borrow empty jars from all your neighbors. Do not gather just a few. 4Then go inside, shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour oil into all these jars, setting the full ones aside.”

5 So she left him, and after she had shut the door behind her and her sons, they kept bringing jars to her, and she kept pouring. 6When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another.”

But he replied, “There are no more jars.” Then the oil stopped flowing.

7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil, and pay your debt. Then you and your sons can live on the remainder.”

8 One day Elisha went to Shunem, and a prominent woman who lived there persuaded him to have a meal. So whenever he would pass by, he would stop there to eat.

9 Then the woman said to her husband, “Behold, now I know that the one who often comes our way is a holy man of God. 10Please let us make a small room upstairs and put in it a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp for him. Then when he comes to us, he can stay there.”

11 One day Elisha came to visit and went to his upper room to lie down. 12And he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call the Shunammite woman.”

And when he had called her, she stood before him, 13and Elisha said to Gehazi, “Now tell her, ‘Look, you have gone to all this trouble for us. What can we do for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the commander of the army?’”

“I have a home among my own people,” she replied.

14 So he asked, “Then what should be done for her?”

“Well, she has no son,” Gehazi replied, “and her husband is old.”

15“Call her,” said Elisha.

So Gehazi called her, and she stood in the doorway. 16And Elisha declared, “At this time next year, you will hold a son in your arms.”

“No, my lord,” she said. “Do not lie to your maidservant, O man of God.”

17 But the woman did conceive, and at that time the next year she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.

8 In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. 9This man was listening to the words of Paul, who looked intently at him and saw that he had faith to be healed. 10In a loud voice Paul called out, “Stand up on your feet!” And the man jumped up and began to walk.

11 When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices in the Lycaonian language: “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates, hoping to offer a sacrifice along with the crowds.

14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul found out about this, they tore their clothes and rushed into the crowd, shouting, 15“Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. 16In past generations, He let all nations go their own way. 17Yet He has not left Himself without testimony to His goodness: He gives you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.”

18 Even with these words, Paul and Barnabas could hardly stop the crowds from sacrificing to them.

19 Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, presuming he was dead. 20But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. And the next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.

21 They preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, 22strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith. “We must endure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.

23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church, praying and fasting as they entrusted them to the Lord, in whom they had believed.

24 After passing through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. 25And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.

26 From Attalia they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had just completed. 27When they arrived, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them, and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. 28And they spent a long time there with the disciples.