Daily Text and Bible Reading: Monday, April 27 [Press play below]

1.1 After the death of Ahab, Moab revolted against Israel.
1.2 It was then that Ahaziah fell down through the grating in his roof chamber in Samaria and was injured. So he sent messengers and said to them: “Go, inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron to find out whether I will recover from this injury.”
1.3 But the angel of Jehovah said to Elijah the Tishbite: “Rise up, go to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron?
1.4 Therefore this is what Jehovah says: “You will not leave the bed on which you are lying, for you will certainly die.”’” With that Elijah went off.
1.5 When the messengers returned to him, he immediately said to them: “Why have you come back?”
1.6 They replied to him: “There was a man who came up to meet us, and he said to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent you and tell him, “This is what Jehovah says: ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? Therefore, you will not leave the bed on which you are lying, for you will certainly die.’”’”
1.7 At this he asked them: “What did the man look like who came up to meet you and spoke these words to you?”
1.8 So they said to him: “He was a man with a garment of hair and a leather belt around his waist.” Immediately he said: “It was Elijah the Tishbite.”
1.9 The king then sent to him a chief of 50 with his 50 men. When he went up to him, he was sitting on the top of the mountain. He said to him: “Man of the true God, the king says, ‘Come down.’”
1.10 But Elijah answered the chief of the 50: “Well, if I am a man of God, let fire come down from the heavens and consume you and your 50 men.” And fire came down from the heavens and consumed him and his 50 men.
1.11 So the king sent again to him another chief of 50 with his 50 men. He went and said to him: “Man of the true God, this is what the king says, ‘Come down quickly.’”
1.12 But Elijah answered them: “If I am a man of the true God, let fire come down from the heavens and consume you and your 50 men.” And fire of God came down from the heavens and consumed him and his 50 men.
1.13 Then the king sent again a third chief of 50 and his 50 men. But the third chief of 50 went up and bowed down on his knees in front of Elijah and began to beg for favor and say to him: “Man of the true God, please, let my life and the lives of these 50 servants of yours be precious in your eyes.
1.14 Fire has already come down from the heavens and consumed the two former chiefs of 50 and their groups of 50, but now let my life be precious in your eyes.”
1.15 At that the angel of Jehovah told Elijah: “Go down with him. Do not be afraid of him.” So he rose and went down with him to the king.
1.16 Elijah then said to the king, “This is what Jehovah says: ‘You sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron. Is it because there is no God in Israel? Why did you not inquire of his word? Therefore, you will not leave the bed on which you are lying, for you will certainly die.’”
1.17 So he died, according to the word of Jehovah that Elijah had spoken; and because he did not have a son, Jehoram became king in his place, in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah.
1.18 As for the rest of the history of Ahaziah, what he did, is it not written in the book of the history of the times of the kings of Israel?

2.1 When Jehovah was about to take Elijah up to the heavens in a windstorm, Elijah and Elisha went out from Gilgal.
2.2 Elijah said to Elisha: “Stay here, please, because Jehovah has sent me on to Bethel.” But Elisha said: “As surely as Jehovah is living and as you are living, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
2.3 Then the sons of the prophets in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him: “Do you know that today Jehovah is taking your master away from headship over you?” At this he said: “I already know it. Be silent.”
2.4 Elijah now said to him: “Elisha, stay here, please, because Jehovah has sent me on to Jericho.” But he said: “As surely as Jehovah is living and as you are living, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho.
2.5 Then the sons of the prophets who were in Jericho approached Elisha and said to him: “Do you know that today Jehovah is taking your master away from headship over you?” At this he said: “I already know it. Be silent.”
2.6 Elijah now said to him: “Stay here, please, because Jehovah has sent me on to the Jordan.” But he said: “As surely as Jehovah is living and as you are living, I will not leave you.” So both of them went on.
2.7 And 50 of the sons of the prophets also went and stood watching from a distance while the two of them stood by the Jordan.
2.8 Then Elijah took his official garment and rolled it up and struck the waters, and they were divided to the left and to the right, so that both of them went across on the dry ground.
2.9 As soon as they had gone across, Elijah said to Elisha: “Ask what you want me to do for you before I am taken from you.” So Elisha said: “Please, may I receive a double portion of your spirit?”
2.10 He replied: “You have asked a difficult thing. If you see me when I am taken from you, it will happen for you that way; but if you do not, it will not happen.”
2.11 As they were walking along, speaking as they walked, suddenly a fiery chariot and fiery horses made a separation between the two of them, and Elijah ascended to the heavens in the windstorm.
2.12 While Elisha was watching, he was crying out: “My father, my father! The chariot of Israel and his horsemen!” When he could no longer see him, he took hold of his own garments and ripped them into two pieces.
2.13 After that he picked up the official garment of Elijah that had fallen off him and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan.
2.14 Then he took the official garment of Elijah that had fallen off him and struck the waters and said: “Where is Jehovah, the God of Elijah?” When he struck the waters, they were divided to the left and to the right, so that Elisha went across.
2.15 When the sons of the prophets at Jericho saw him from a distance, they said: “The spirit of Elijah has settled down on Elisha.” So they went to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him.
2.16 They said to him: “Here are 50 capable men with your servants. Let them go, please, to look for your master. Perhaps the spirit of Jehovah has lifted him up and then thrown him on one of the mountains or in one of the valleys.” But he said: “Do not send them.”
2.17 However, they kept urging him until he was embarrassed, so he said: “Send them.” They sent the 50 men, who kept looking for three days but did not find him.
2.18 When they returned to him, he was staying in Jericho. Then he said to them: “Did I not tell you not to go?”
2.19 In time the men of the city said to Elisha: “My master can see that the city is well-situated; but the water is bad, and the land is barren.”
2.20 At that he said: “Bring me a small new bowl and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him.
2.21 Then he went out to the source of the water and threw salt into it and said: “This is what Jehovah says, ‘I have healed this water. No more will it cause death or barrenness.’”
2.22 And the water has been healed down to this day, according to the word spoken by Elisha.
2.23 He went up from there to Bethel. As he was going along the way, some young boys came out from the city and began to jeer at him, and they kept saying to him: “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!”
2.24 Finally he turned around and looked at them and cursed them in the name of Jehovah. Then two she-bears came out of the forest and tore 42 of the children to pieces.
2.25 He kept going from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.

3.1 Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the 18th year of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, and he reigned for 12 years.
3.2 He kept doing what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes, but not to the extent of his father or his mother, for he removed the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made.
3.3 However, he clung to the sins that Jeroboam the son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit. He did not depart from them.
3.4 Now Mesha the king of Moab was a sheep raiser, and he used to pay 100,000 lambs and 100,000 unshorn rams as tribute to the king of Israel.
3.5 As soon as Ahab died, the king of Moab revolted against the king of Israel.
3.6 So King Jehoram went out on that day from Samaria and mustered all Israel.
3.7 He also sent a message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah, saying: “The king of Moab has revolted against me. Will you go with me to war against Moab?” To this he said: “I will go. I am the same as you. My people are the same as your people. My horses are the same as your horses.”
3.8 Then he asked: “By which way should we go up?” He replied: “By the way of the wilderness of Edom.”
3.9 The king of Israel then set out with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. After they journeyed roundabout for seven days, there was no water for the camp and for the domestic animals that were following behind them.
3.10 The king of Israel said: “How terrible! Jehovah has called these three kings, only to give them into the hand of Moab!”
3.11 At that Jehoshaphat said: “Is there no prophet of Jehovah here through whom we may inquire of Jehovah?” So one of the servants of the king of Israel answered: “There is Elisha the son of Shaphat, who used to pour out water on the hands of Elijah.”
3.12 Then Jehoshaphat said: “The word of Jehovah is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
3.13 Elisha said to the king of Israel: “What do I have to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.” But the king of Israel said to him: “No, for it is Jehovah who has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.”
3.14 To this Elisha said: “As surely as Jehovah of armies whom I serve is living, if I did not have regard for King Jehoshaphat of Judah, I would not look at you or take notice of you.
3.15 Now bring me a harpist.” As soon as the harpist started playing, the hand of Jehovah came on him.
3.16 He said, “This is what Jehovah says: ‘Dig trench after trench in this valley,
3.17 for this is what Jehovah says: “You will not see wind, and you will not see rain; yet this valley will be filled with water, and you will drink from it, you, your livestock, and your other animals.”’
3.18 But this is a trivial thing in the eyes of Jehovah, for he will also give Moab into your hand.
3.19 You must strike down every fortified city and every choice city, you should cut down every good tree, you should stop up all the springs of water, and you should ruin every good plot of land with stones.”
3.20 And in the morning, at the time of the morning grain offering, water was suddenly coming from the direction of Edom, and the land became filled with the water.
3.21 All the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, so they called together all the men who could bear arms, and they stationed themselves at the border.
3.22 When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water, and to the Moabites on the opposite side, the water looked red like blood.
3.23 They said: “This is blood! The kings have surely slaughtered one another with the sword. So, then, to the spoil, O Moab!”
3.24 When they came into the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and began striking down the Moabites, who fled from them. They advanced into Moab, striking the Moabites down as they went.
3.25 They tore down the cities, and each man threw a stone into every good plot of land, filling it with stones; they stopped up every spring of water, and they cut down every good tree. Finally only the stone walls of Kir-hareseth remained standing, and the slingers surrounded it and struck it down.
3.26 When the king of Moab saw that the battle was lost, he took with him 700 men armed with swords to break through to the king of Edom; but they were not able to.
3.27 So he took his firstborn son who was going to reign in his place and offered him up as a burnt sacrifice on the wall. And there came to be great indignation against Israel, so they withdrew from against him and returned to their land.