1 Corinthians 14:1-25; 2 Kings 8; Jonah 3

1 Corinthians 14:1-25

1 Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and above all that you may prophesy.

2 For the person who speaks in [another] language is not speaking to men but to God, since no one understands him; however, he speaks mysteries in the Spirit.

3 But the person who prophesies speaks to people for edification, encouragement, and consolation.

4 The person who speaks in [another] language builds himself up, but he who prophesies builds up the church.

5 I wish all of you spoke in other languages, but even more that you prophesied. The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in languages, unless he interprets so that the church may be built up.

6 But now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in [other] languages, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you with a revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?

7 Even inanimate things producing sounds-whether flute or harp-if they don't make a distinction in the notes, how will what is played on the flute or harp be recognized?

8 In fact, if the trumpet makes an unclear sound, who will prepare for battle?

9 In the same way, unless you use your tongue for intelligible speech, how will what is spoken be known? For you will be speaking into the air.

10 There are doubtless many different kinds of languages in the world, and all have meaning.

11 Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner = in Eng a barbarian. To a Gk, a barbaros was anyone who did not speak Gk. to the speaker, and the speaker will be a foreigner to me.

12 So also you-since you are zealous in matters of the spirit, seek to excel in building up the church.

13 Therefore the person who speaks in [another] language should pray that he can interpret.

14 For if I pray in [another] language, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.

15 What then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with my understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with my understanding.

16 Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will the uninformed person say "Amen" at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying?

17 For you may very well be giving thanks, but the other person is not being built up.

18 I thank God that I speak in [other] languages more than all of you;

19 yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than 10,000 words in [another] language.

20 Brothers, don't be childish in your thinking, but be infants in evil and adult in your thinking.

21 It is written in the law: By people of other languages and by the lips of foreigners, I will speak to this people; and even then, they will not listen to Me, says the Lord.

22 It follows that speaking in other languages is intended as a sign, not to believers but to unbelievers. But prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers.

23 Therefore if the whole church assembles together, and all are speaking in [other] languages, and people who are uninformed or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds?

24 But if all are prophesying, and some unbeliever or uninformed person comes in, he is convicted by all and is judged by all.

25 The secrets of his heart will be revealed, and as a result he will fall down on his face and worship God, proclaiming, "God is really among you."

2 Kings 8

1 Elisha said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, "Get ready, you and your household, and go and live as a foreigner wherever you can. For the Lord has announced a seven-year famine, and it has already come to the land."

2 So the woman got ready and did what the man of God said. She and her household lived as foreigners in the land of the Philistines for seven years.

3 When the woman returned from the land of the Philistines at the end of seven years, she went to appeal to the king for her house and field.

4 The king had been speaking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, "Tell me all the great things Elisha has done."

5 While he was telling the king how Elisha restored the dead [son] to life, the woman whose son he had restored to life came to appeal to the king for her house and field. So Gehazi said, "My lord the king, this is the woman and this is the son Elisha restored to life."

6 When the king asked the woman, she told him the story. So the king appointed a court official for her, saying, "Restore all that was hers, along with all the income from the field from the day she left the country until now."

7 Elisha came to Damascus while Ben-hadad king of Aram was sick, and the king was told, "The man of God has come here."

8 So the king said to Hazael, "Take a gift with you and go meet the man of God. Inquire of the Lord through him, 'Will I recover from this sickness?' "

9 Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him a gift: 40 camel-loads of all kinds of goods from Damascus. When he came and stood before him, he said, "Your son, Ben-hadad king of Aram, has sent me to ask you, 'Will I recover from this sickness?' "

10 Elisha told him, "Go say to him, 'You are sure to recover.' But the Lord has shown me that he is sure to die."

11 Then Elisha stared steadily at him until Hazael was ashamed. The man of God wept,

12 and Hazael asked, "Why is my lord weeping?" He replied, "Because I know the evil you will do to the people of Israel. You will set their fortresses on fire. You will kill their young men with the sword. You will dash their little ones to pieces. You will rip open their pregnant women."

13 Hazael said, "How could your servant, a mere dog, do this monstrous thing?" Elisha answered, "The Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aram."

14 Hazael left Elisha and went to his master, who asked him, "What did Elisha say to you?" He responded, "He told me you are sure to recover."

15 The next day Hazael took a heavy cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it over the king's face. Ben-hadad died, and Hazael reigned instead of him.

16 In the fifth year of Israel's King Joram son of Ahab, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat became king of Judah, replacing his father.

17 He was 32 years old when he became king; he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

18 He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for Ahab's daughter was his wife. He did what was evil in the Lord's sight.

19 The Lord was unwilling to destroy Judah because of His servant David, since He had promised to give a lamp to David and to his sons forever.

20 During Jehoram's reign, Edom rebelled against Judah's control and appointed their own king.

21 So Jehoram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. Then at night he set out to attack the Edomites who had surrounded him and the chariot commanders, but his troops fled to their tents.

22 So Edom is still in rebellion against Judah's control today. Libnah also rebelled at that time.

23 The rest of the events of Jehoram's [reign], along with all his accomplishments, are written about in the Historical Record of Israel's Kings.

24 Jehoram rested with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and his son Ahaziah became king in his place.

25 In the twelfth year of Israel's King Joram son of Ahab, Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah.

26 Ahaziah was 22 years old when he became king; he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah, granddaughter of Israel's King Omri.

27 He walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did what was evil in the Lord's sight like the house of Ahab, for he was a son-in-law to Ahab's family.

28 Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to fight against Hazael king of Aram in Ramoth-gilead, and the Arameans wounded Joram.

29 So King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him in Ramoth-gilead when he fought against Aram's King Hazael. Then Judah's King Ahaziah son of Jehoram went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son of Ahab since Joram was ill.

Jonah 3

1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time:

2 "Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach the message that I tell you."

3 So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to the Lord's command. Now Nineveh was an extremely large city, a three-day walk.

4 Jonah set out on the first day of his walk in the city and proclaimed, "In 40 days Nineveh will be overthrown!"

5 The men of Nineveh believed in God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth-from the greatest of them to the least.

6 When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, put on sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

7 Then he issued a decree in Nineveh: By order of the king and his nobles: No man or beast, herd or flock, is to taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink water.

8 Furthermore, both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth, and everyone must call out earnestly to God. Each must turn from his evil ways and from the violence he is doing.

9 Who knows? God may turn and relent; He may turn from His burning anger so that we will not perish.

10 Then God saw their actions-that they had turned from their evil ways-so God relented from the disaster He had threatened to do to them. And He did not do it.