May 4th
2 Kings,
7
1: Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the
LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine
flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the
gate of Samaria. 2: Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man
of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this
thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not
eat thereof.
The
Lord tricks them into retreat
3: And there were four leprous men at the
entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we
die? 4: If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city,
and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore
come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we
shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die. 5: And they rose up in the
twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the
uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there. 6: For the
Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise
of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo,
the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the
kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us. 7: Wherefore they arose and fled in
the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the
camp as it was, and fled for their life. 8: And when these lepers came to the
uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and
carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again,
and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it. 9:
Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good
tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some
mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the
king's household. 10: So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and
they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there
was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and
the tents as they were. 11: And he called the porters; and they told it to the
king's house within. 12: And the king arose in the night, and said unto his
servants, I will now shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that
we be hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the
field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and
get into the city. 13: And one of his servants answered and said, Let some
take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city,
(behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it: behold, I
say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed:)
and let us send and see. 14: They took therefore two chariot horses; and the
king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see. 15: And they went
after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels,
which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned,
and told the king. 16: And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the
Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of
barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD. 17: And the king appointed
the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people
trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake
when the king came down to him. 18: And it came to pass as the man of God had
spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure
of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to morrow about this time in the gate of
Samaria: 19: And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if
the LORD should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said,
Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. 20: And
so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he
died.
2 Kings,
8
The
woman’s land restored
1: Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose
son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household,
and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the LORD hath called for a
famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years. 2: And the woman
arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her
household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. 3: And it
came to pass at the seven years' end, that the woman returned out of the land
of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and
for her land. 4: And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God,
saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done. 5:
And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body
to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to
the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this
is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life. 6: And when
the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a
certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the
field since the day that she left the land, even until now.
Elisha
predicts Hazael’s rise
7: And Elisha came to Damascus; and Ben-hadad
the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come
hither. 8: And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go,
meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD by him, saying, Shall I recover of
this disease? 9: So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even
of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' burden, and came and stood
before him, and said, Thy son Ben-hadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee,
saying, Shall I recover of this disease? 10: And Elisha said unto him, Go, say
unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the LORD hath shewed me that
he shall surely die. 11: And he settled his countenance stedfastly, until he
was ashamed: and the man of God wept. 12: And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord?
And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of
Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou
slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with
child. 13: And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do
this great thing? And Elisha answered, The LORD hath shewed me that thou shalt
be king over Syria. 14: So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who
said to him, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou
shouldest surely recover. 15: And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took a
thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he
died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.
Jehoram
King of Judah
16: And in the fifth year of Joram the son of
Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Jehoram the son of
Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign. 17: Thirty and two years old was he
when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18: And he
walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the
daughter of Ahab was his wife: and he did evil in the sight of the LORD. 19:
Yet the LORD would not destroy Judah for David his servant's sake, as he
promised him to give him alway a light, and to his children. 20: In his days
Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves.
21: So Joram went over to Zair, and all the chariots with him: and he rose by
night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him about, and the captains of
the chariots: and the people fled into their tents. 22: Yet Edom revolted from
under the hand of Judah unto this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time.
23: And the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written
in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 24: And Joram slept with
his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Ahaziah
his son reigned in his stead.
Ahaziah
King of Judah
25: In the twelfth year of Joram the son of
Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to
reign. 26: Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he
reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Athaliah, the daughter
of Omri king of Israel. 27: And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and
did evil in the sight of the LORD, as did the house of Ahab: for he was the son
in law of the house of Ahab. 28: And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to the
war against Hazael king of Syria in Ramoth-gilead; and the Syrians wounded
Joram. 29: And king Joram went back to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which
the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of
Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the
son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.
2 Kings,
9
Jehu
anointed King
1: And Elisha the prophet called one of the
children of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this
box of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead: 2: And when thou comest
thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go
in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner
chamber; 3: Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus
saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and
flee, and tarry not. 4: So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went
to Ramoth-gilead. 5: And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were
sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto
which of all us? And he said, To thee, O captain. 6: And he arose, and went
into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus
saith the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the
LORD, even over Israel. 7: And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master,
that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all
the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel. 8: For the whole house of
Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the
wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel: 9: And I will make the house
of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of
Baasha the son of Ahijah: 10: And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of
Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.
11: Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, Is
all well? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? And he said unto them, Ye
know the man, and his communication. 12: And they said, It is false; tell us
now. And he said, Thus and thus spake he to me, saying, Thus saith the LORD, I
have anointed thee king over Israel. 13: Then they hasted, and took every man
his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with
trumpets, saying, Jehu is king.
Jehu
kills Joram
14: So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of
Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram had kept Ramoth-gilead, he and all
Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria. 15: But king Joram was returned to be
healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought
with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If it be your minds, then let none
go forth nor escape out of the city to go to tell it in Jezreel. 16: So Jehu
rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king
of Judah was come down to see Joram. 17: And there stood a watchman on the
tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see
a company. And Joram said, Take an horseman, and send to meet them, and let him
say, Is it peace? 18: So there went one on horseback to meet him, and said,
Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said, What hast thou to do with
peace? turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, The messenger came
to them, but he cometh not again. 19: Then he sent out a second on horseback,
which came to them, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu
answered, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. 20: And the
watchman told, saying, He came even unto them, and cometh not again: and the
driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth
furiously. 21: And Joram said, Make ready. And his chariot was made ready. And
Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot,
and they went out against Jehu, and met him in the portion of Naboth the
Jezreelite. 22: And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it
peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy
mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many? 23: And Joram turned his hands,
and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah. 24: And Jehu drew
a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow
went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot. 25: Then said Jehu to
Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth
the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab
his father, the LORD laid this burden upon him; 26: Surely I have seen
yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the LORD; and I
will requite thee in this plat, saith the LORD. Now therefore take and cast him
into the plat of ground, according to the word of the LORD.
Jehu
kills Ahaziah
27: But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw
this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and
said, Smite him also in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to Gur,
which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there. 28: And his
servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre
with his fathers in the city of David. 29: And in the eleventh year of Joram
the son of Ahab began Ahaziah to reign over Judah.
Jehu
kills Jezebel
30: And when Jehu was come to Jezreel,
Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked
out at a window. 31: And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri
peace, who slew his master? 32: And he lifted up his face to the window, and
said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs.
33: And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood
was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot. 34:
And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this
cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king's daughter. 35: And they went to
bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the
palms of her hands. 36: Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said,
This is the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Elijah the
Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of
Jezebel: 37: And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the
field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.
In today’s Bible readings we continue in the
life of Elisha. The incidents in the life of Elisha are both interesting and
obscure. First the Lord tricks the Syrian invaders into retreat. Then Elisha
predicts the rise to power of Hazael. Then we have affairs of state - the
reigns of Jehoram and Ahaziah. Jehu is anointed the new king and Jehu goes on
the war path killing Joram, Ahaziah and Jezebel. First we read the Elisha said
to the king that the next day the famine would be so great that a measure (a
large bowl full) of fine flour will be sold for a shekel about 50p this is
about the normal price. Then four men who were lepers decided that they would
go out of the city to the Syrian army thinking that if they stayed in the city
they would die and if they were killed by the Syrians the they would also die
so they decided that they had nothing to loose and left the city to go to the
Syrian camp but when they arrived there they found nobody – the camp was
deserted. What had happened was that the Lord had caused them to hear the
sounds of an army bearing down on them, with the sound of chariots horses and
of a great battle and they fled in panic. The four lepers went into one tent
and ate their full and took gold and silver and then they went into another
tent and did the same and then they said – We are not doing the right thing,
This is the day of glad tidings and we hold our peace. If we stay here till the
morning something might happen to us so let’s go to the city to tell the people
that the Syrian army had gone. The message got right through to the king but he
was cautious and thought it might be a trap. So they sent out two mounted
scouts to see what was happening. And they came all the way to the Jordan and
saw the trail of all the goods that had been thrown away in their haste. So the
people went out and spoiled the goods of the Syrians and so a measure of flour
was sold for 50p just as the Prophet of the Lord had said. The king’s servant
was trampled in the stampede for food and treasure. Then Elisha went and told
the widow who he had raised her son from the dead that there was going to be a
famine in the land for 7 years. She went and lived with the Philistines for the
whole time. Then when it was ended she returned o the land and she asked for
her land to be returned to her. Elisha’s servant told the king of all that
Elisha had done for he so he restored everything to her. The next event was
that Elisha came to Damascus and Hazael sent a message asking if his father
would recover because Ben-hadad who was very sick. Elisha said yes he will
recover of his illness but he will still die. Elisha wept and Hazael asked why
he wept and he said because l know of all the evil you will do. He said do you
think l am a dog to do these evil things yet he left and went and suffocated
his father and reigned in his place. Next we read of the reign of Jehoram who
came to the throne of Judah when he was 32 and reigned for 8 yrs. He did great
evil things in Gods sight. But God would not destroy him for David’s sake. He
fought with the Edomites. Ahaziah reigned for 1 year. He did evil in the sight
of the Lord like Ahab his father-in-law. Elisha called on one of his prophets and
told him to take a box of oil and to Ramoth-gilead and find Jehu and take him
to a secret chamber and anoint him in the name of the Lord over all Israel.
Jehu was raised up by the Lord to bring judgment in Israel. Then he told him
his main mission and then ran away as quickly as he could. When Jehu came out
of the room they asked his about the mad man who had spoken to him. They made
him king over Israel. The first thing was to sort out Joram. Joram had been
wounded by the Syrians. Jehu went out to meet Jehoram and killed him with an
arrow and he killed Ahaziah in his chariot and he threw commanded that Jezebel
be thrown from the high window. A gruesome end to an evil woman. Her body was
eaten of the dogs.
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