1 Corinthians 5; 1 Kings 18; Amos 2; Amos 3:1-2

1 Corinthians 5

1 It is widely reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and the kind of sexual immorality that is not even condoned among the Gentiles-a man is living with his father's wife.

2 And you are inflated with pride, instead of filled with grief so that he who has committed this act might be removed from among you.

3 For though absent in body but present in spirit, I have already decided about him who has done this thing as though I were present.

4 In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, along with my spirit and with the power of our Lord Jesus,

5 turn that one over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the Day of the Lord.

6 Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast permeates the whole batch of dough?

7 Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch, since you are unleavened. For Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.

8 Therefore, let us observe the feast, not with old yeast, or with the yeast of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

9 I wrote to you in a letter not to associate with sexually immoral people-

10 by no means referring to this world's immoral people, or to the greedy and swindlers, or to idolaters; otherwise you would have to leave the world.

11 But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother who is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a reviler, a drunkard or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person.

12 For what is it to me to judge outsiders? Do you not judge those who are inside?

13 But God judges outsiders. Put away the evil person from among yourselves.

1 Kings 18

1 After a long time, the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year: "Go and present yourself to Ahab. I will send rain on the surface of the land."

2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria.

3 Ahab called for Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. Obadiah was a man who greatly feared the Lord

4 and took 100 prophets and hid them, 50 men to a cave, and provided them with food and water when Jezebel slaughtered the Lord's prophets.

5 Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go throughout the land to every spring of water and to every wadi. Perhaps we'll find grass so we can keep the horses and mules alive and not have to destroy any cattle."

6 They divided the land between them in order to cover it. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went the other way by himself.

7 While Obadiah was [walking] along the road, Elijah suddenly met him. When Obadiah recognized him, he fell with his face [to the ground] and said, "Is it you, my lord Elijah?"

8 "It is I," he replied. "Go tell your lord, 'Elijah is here!' "

9 But Obadiah said, "What sin have I committed, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to put me to death?

10 As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent someone to search for you. When they said, 'He is not here,' he made that kingdom or nation swear they had not found you.

11 "Now you say, 'Go tell your lord, "Elijah is here!" '

12 But when I leave you, the Spirit of the Lord may carry you off to some place I don't know. Then when I go report to Ahab and he doesn't find you, he will kill me. But [I], your servant, have feared the Lord from my youth.

13 Wasn't it reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel slaughtered the Lord's prophets? I hid 100 of the prophets of the Lord, 50 men to a cave, and I provided them with food and water.

14 Now you say, 'Go tell your lord, "Elijah is here!" ' He will kill me!"

15 Then Elijah said, "As the Lord of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, today I will present myself to Ahab."

16 Obadiah went to meet Ahab and report to him. Then Ahab went to meet Elijah.

17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "Is that you, you destroyer of Israel?"

18 He replied, "I have not destroyed Israel, but you and your father's house have, because you have abandoned the Lord's commandments and followed the Baals.

19 Now summon all Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table."

20 So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel.

21 Then Elijah approached all the people and said, "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If Yahweh is God, follow Him. But if Baal, follow him." But the people didn't answer him a word.

22 Then Elijah said to the people, "I am the only remaining prophet of the Lord, but Baal's prophets are 450 men.

23 Let two bulls be given to us. They are to choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire.

24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Yahweh. The God who answers with fire, He is God." All the people answered, "That [sounds] good."

25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god but don't light the fire."

26 So they took the bull that he gave them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "Baal, answer us!" But there was no sound; no one answered. Then they did their lame dance around the altar they had made.

27 At noon Elijah mocked them. He said, "Shout loudly, for he's a god! Maybe he's thinking it over; maybe he has wandered away; or maybe he's on the road. Perhaps he's sleeping and will wake up!"

28 They shouted loudly, and cut themselves with knives and spears, according to their custom, until blood gushed out on them.

29 All afternoon, they kept on raving until the offering of the evening sacrifice, but there was no sound, no one answered, no one paid attention.

30 Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near me." So all the people approached him. Then he repaired the Lord's altar that had been torn down:

31 Elijah took 12 stones-according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, "Israel will be your name"-

32 and he built an altar with the stones in the name of Yahweh. Then he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold about four gallons.

33 Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. He said, "Fill four water pots with water and pour it on the offering to be burned and on the wood."

34 Then he said, "A second time!" and they did it a second time. And then he said, "A third time!" and they did it a third time.

35 So the water ran all around the altar; he even filled the trench with water.

36 At the time for offering the [evening] sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached [the altar] and said, "Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that at Your word I have done all these things.

37 Answer me, Lord! Answer me so that this people will know that You, Yahweh, are God and that You have turned their hearts back."

38 Then Yahweh's fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.

39 When all the people saw it, they fell facedown and said, "Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God!"

40 Then Elijah ordered them, "Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let even one of them escape." So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon and slaughtered them there.

41 Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a rainstorm."

42 So Ahab went to eat and drink, but Elijah went up to the summit of Carmel. He bowed down to the ground and put his face between his knees.

43 Then he said to his servant, "Go up and look toward the sea." So he went up, looked, and said, "There's nothing." Seven times Elijah said, "Go back."

44 On the seventh time, he reported, "There's a cloud as small as a man's hand coming from the sea." Then Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Get [your chariot] ready and go down so the rain doesn't stop you.' "

45 In a little while, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and there was a downpour. So Ahab got in [his chariot] and went to Jezreel.

46 The power of the Lord was on Elijah, and he tucked his mantle under his belt and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

Amos 2

1 The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing Moab for three crimes, even four, because he burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom.

2 Therefore, I will send fire against Moab, and it will consume the citadels of Kerioth. Moab will die with a tumult, with shouting and the sound of the ram's horn.

3 I will cut off the judge from the land and kill all its officials with him. The Lord has spoken.

4 The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing Judah for three crimes, even four, because they have rejected the law of the Lord and have not kept His statutes. The lies that their ancestors followed have led them astray.

5 Therefore, I will send fire against Judah, and it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem.

6 The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing Israel for three crimes, even four, because they sell a righteous person for silver and a needy person for a pair of sandals.

7 They trample the heads of the poor on the dust of the ground and block the path of the needy. A man and his father have sexual relations with the same girl, profaning My holy name.

8 They stretch out beside every altar on garments taken as collateral, and they drink in the house of their God wine obtained through fines.

9 Yet I destroyed the Amorite as Israel advanced; his height was like the cedars, and he was as sturdy as the oaks; I destroyed his fruit above and his roots beneath.

10 And I brought you from the land of Egypt and led you 40 years in the wilderness in order to possess the land of the Amorite.

11 I raised up some of your sons as prophets and some of your young men as Nazirites. Is this not the case, Israelites? [This is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration.

12 But you made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets: Do not prophesy.

13 Look, I am about to crush [you] in your place as a wagon full of sheaves crushes [grain].

14 Escape will fail the swift, the strong one will not prevail by his strength, and the brave will not save his life.

15 The archer will not stand [his ground], the [one who is] swift of foot will not save himself, and the one riding a horse will not save his life.

16 Even the most courageous of the warriors will flee naked on that day- the Lord's declaration.

Amos 3:1-2

1 Listen to this message that the Lord has spoken against you, Israelites, against the entire clan that I brought from the land of Egypt:

2 I have known only you out of all the clans of the earth; therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities.