1 Corinthians 7:1-24; 1 Kings 20; Amos 4:4-13

1 Corinthians 7:1-24

1 About the things you wrote: "It is good for a man not to have relations with a woman."

2 But because of sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.

3 A husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise a wife to her husband.

4 A wife does not have authority over her own body, but her husband does. Equally, a husband does not have authority over his own body, but his wife does.

5 Do not deprive one another-except when you agree, for a time, to devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again; otherwise, Satan may tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

6 I say this as a concession, not as a command.

7 I wish that all people were just like me. But each has his own gift from God, one this and another that.

8 I say to the unmarried and to widows: It is good for them if they remain as I am.

9 But if they do not have self-control, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with desire.

10 I command the married-not I, but the Lord-a wife is not to leave her husband.

11 But if she does leave, she must remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband-and a husband is not to leave his wife.

12 But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has an unbelieving wife, and she is willing to live with him, he must not leave her.

13 Also, if any woman has an unbelieving husband, and he is willing to live with her, she must not leave her husband.

14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the Christian husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.

15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let him leave. A brother or a sister is not bound in such cases. God has called you to peace.

16 For you, wife, how do you know whether you will save your husband? Or you, husband, how do you know whether you will save your wife?

17 However, each one must live his life in the situation the Lord assigned when God called him. This is what I command in all the churches.

18 Was anyone already circumcised when he was called? He should not undo his circumcision. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? He should not get circumcised.

19 Circumcision does not matter and uncircumcision does not matter, but keeping God's commandments does.

20 Each person should remain in the life situation in which he was called.

21 Were you called while a slave? It should not be a concern to you. But if you can become free, by all means take the opportunity.

22 For he who is called by the Lord as a slave is the Lord's freedman. Likewise he who is called as a free man is Christ's slave.

23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.

24 Brothers, each person should remain with God in whatever situation he was called.

1 Kings 20

1 Now Ben-hadad king of Aram assembled his entire army. Thirty-two kings, along with horses and chariotry, were with him. He marched up, besieged Samaria, and fought against it.

2 He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, "This is what Ben-hadad says:

3 'Your silver and your gold are mine! And your best wives and children are mine as well!' "

4 Then the king of Israel answered, "Just as you say, my lord king: I am yours, along with all that I have."

5 The messengers then returned and said, "This is what Ben-hadad says: 'I have sent [messengers] to you, saying: Your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children you are to give to me.

6 But at this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your palace and your servants' houses. Whatever is precious to you, they will lay their hands on and take away.' "

7 Then the king of Israel called for all the elders of the land and said, "Think it over and you will see that this one is only looking for trouble, for he demanded my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, and I didn't turn him down."

8 All the elders and all the people said to him, "Don't listen or agree."

9 So he said to Ben-hadad's messengers, "Say to my lord the king, 'Everything you demanded of your servant the first time, I will do, but this thing I cannot do.' " So the messengers left and took word back to him.

10 Then Ben-hadad sent [messengers] to him and said, "May the gods punish me and do so severely if Samaria's dust amounts to a handful for each of the people who follow me."

11 The king of Israel answered, "Say this: 'Let not him who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off.' "

12 When Ben-hadad heard this response, while he and the kings were drinking in the tents, he said to his servants, "Take [your] positions." So they took [their] positions against the city.

13 A prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and said, "This is what the Lord says: 'Do you see this entire immense horde? Watch, I am handing it over to you today so that you may know that I am the Lord.' "

14 Ahab asked, "By whom?" And the prophet said, "This is what the Lord says: 'By the young men of the provincial leaders.' " Then he asked, "Who is to start the battle?" He said, "You."

15 So Ahab counted the young men of the provincial leaders, and there were 232. After them he counted all the Israelite troops: 7,000.

16 They marched out at noon while Ben-hadad and the 32 kings who were helping him were getting drunk in the tents.

17 The young men of the provincial leaders marched out first. Then Ben-hadad sent out scouts, and they reported to him, saying, "Men are marching out of Samaria."

18 So he said, "If they have marched out in peace, take them alive, and if they have marched out for battle, take them alive."

19 The young men of the provincial leaders and the army behind them marched out from the city,

20 and each one struck down his opponent. So the Arameans fled and Israel pursued them, but Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with the cavalry.

21 Then the king of Israel marched out and attacked the cavalry and the chariotry. He inflicted a great slaughter on Aram.

22 The prophet approached the king of Israel and said to him, "Go and strengthen yourself, then consider what you should do, for in the spring the king of Aram will march up against you."

23 Now the king of Aram's servants said to him, "Their gods are gods of the hill country. That's why they were stronger than we. Instead, we should fight with them on the plain; then we will certainly be stronger than they.

24 Also do this: remove each king from his position and appoint captains in their place.

25 Raise another army for yourself like the army you lost-horse for horse, chariot for chariot-and let's fight with them on the plain; and we will certainly be stronger than they." The king listened to them and did so.

26 In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek to battle Israel.

27 The Israelites mobilized, gathered supplies, and went to fight them. The Israelites camped in front of them like two little flocks of goats, while the Arameans filled the landscape.

28 Then the man of God approached and said to the king of Israel, "This is what the Lord says: 'Because the Arameans have said: The Lord is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys, I will hand over this entire immense horde to you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.' "

29 They camped opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day, the battle took place, and the Israelites struck down the Arameans-100,000 foot soldiers in one day.

30 The ones who remained fled into the city of Aphek, and the wall fell on those 27,000 remaining men. Ben-hadad also fled and went into an inner room in the city.

31 His servants said to him, "Consider this: we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are kings [who show] special kindness. So let's put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and let's go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life."

32 So they dressed with sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, went to the king of Israel, and said, "Your servant Ben-hadad says, 'Please spare my life.' " So he said, "Is he still alive? He is my brother."

33 Now the men were looking for a sign of hope, so they quickly latched onto the hint and said, "Yes, your brother Ben-hadad." Then he said, "Go and bring him." So Ben-hadad came out to him, and Ahab had him come up into the chariot.

34 Then Ben-hadad said to him, "The cities that my father took from your father I restore to you, and you may set up marketplaces for yourself in Damascus, like my father set up in Samaria." [Ahab responded],"On the basis of this treaty, I release you." So he made a treaty with him and released him.

35 One of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow prophet by the word of the Lord, "Strike me!" But the man refused to strike him.

36 He told him, "Because you did not listen to the voice of the Lord, mark my words: When you leave me, a lion will kill you." When he left him, a lion found him and killed him.

37 The prophet found another man and said to him, "Strike me!" So the man struck him, inflicting a wound.

38 Then the prophet went and waited for the king on the road. He disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes.

39 As the king was passing by, he cried out to the king and said, "Your servant marched out into the midst of the battle. Suddenly, a man turned aside and brought someone to me and said, 'Guard this man! If he is ever missing, it will be your life in place of his life, or you will weigh out 75 pounds of silver.'

40 But while your servant was busy here and there, he disappeared." The king of Israel said to him, "That will be your sentence; you yourself have decided it."

41 He quickly removed the bandage from his eyes. The king of Israel recognized that he was one of the prophets.

42 The prophet said to him, "This is what the Lord says: 'Because you released from your hand the man I had devoted to destruction, it will be your life in place of his life and your people in place of his people.' "

43 The king of Israel left for home resentful and angry, and he entered Samaria.

Amos 4:4-13

4 Come to Bethel and rebel; rebel even more at Gilgal! Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tenths every three days.

5 Offer leavened bread as a thank offering, and loudly proclaim your freewill offerings, for that is what you Israelites love [to do]! [This is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration.

6 I gave you absolutely nothing to eat in all your cities, a shortage of food in all your communities, yet you did not return to Me- the Lord's declaration.

7 I also withheld the rain from you while there were still three months until harvest. I sent rain on one city but no rain on another. One field received rain while a field with no rain withered.

8 Two or three cities staggered to another city to drink water but were not satisfied, yet you did not return to Me- the Lord's declaration.

9 I struck you with blight and mildew; the locust devoured your many gardens and vineyards, your fig trees and olive trees, yet you did not return to Me- the Lord's declaration.

10 I sent plagues like those of Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. I caused the stench of your camp to fill your nostrils, yet you did not return to Me- the Lord's declaration.

11 I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a burning stick snatched from a fire, yet you did not return to Me- the Lord's declaration.

12 Therefore, Israel, that is what I will do to you, and since I will do that to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God!

13 He is here: the One who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals His thoughts to man, the One who makes the dawn out of darkness and strides on the heights of the earth. Yahweh, the God of Hosts, is His name.