1 Corinthians 8; 1 Kings 22; Amos 6

1 Corinthians 8

1 About food offered to idols: We know that "we all have knowledge." Knowledge inflates with pride, but love builds up.

2 If anyone thinks he knows anything, he does not yet know it as he ought to know it.

3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.

4 About eating food offered to idols, then, we know that "an idol is nothing in the world," and that "there is no God but one."

5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth-as there are many "gods" and many "lords"-

6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we through Him.

7 However, not everyone has this knowledge. In fact, some have been so used to idolatry up until now, that when they eat food offered to an idol, their conscience, being weak, is defiled.

8 Food will not make us acceptable to God. We are not inferior if we don't eat, and we are not better if we do eat.

9 But be careful that this right of yours in no way becomes a stumbling block to the weak.

10 For if somebody sees you, the one who has this knowledge, dining in an idol's temple, won't his weak conscience be encouraged to eat food offered to idols?

11 Then the weak person, the brother for whom Christ died, is ruined by your knowledge.

12 Now when you sin like this against the brothers and wound their weak conscience, you are sinning against Christ.

13 Therefore, if food causes my brother to fall, I will never again eat meat, so that I won't cause my brother to fall.

1 Kings 22

1 There was a lull of three years without war between Aram and Israel.

2 However, in the third year, Jehoshaphat king of Judah went to visit the king of Israel.

3 The king of Israel had said to his servants, "Don't you know that Ramoth-gilead is ours, but we have failed to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?"

4 So he asked Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to fight Ramoth-gilead?" Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses."

5 But Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "First, please ask what the Lord's will is."

6 So the king of Israel gathered the prophets, about 400 men, and asked them, "Should I go against Ramoth-gilead for war or should I refrain?" They replied, "March up, and the Lord will hand it over to the king."

7 But Jehoshaphat asked, "Isn't there a prophet of Yahweh here any more? Let's ask him."

8 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man who can ask the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies good about me, but only disaster. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." "The king shouldn't say that!" Jehoshaphat replied.

9 So the king of Israel called an officer and said, "Hurry [and get] Micaiah son of Imlah!"

10 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, clothed in royal attire, were each sitting on his own throne. They were on the threshing floor at the entrance to Samaria's gate, and all the prophets were prophesying in front of them.

11 Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah made iron horns and said, "This is what the Lord says: 'You will gore the Arameans with these until they are finished off.' "

12 And all the prophets were prophesying the same: "March up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, for the Lord will hand it over to the king."

13 The messenger who went to call Micaiah instructed him, "Look, the words of the prophets are unanimously favorable for the king. So let your words be like theirs, and speak favorably."

14 But Micaiah said, "As the Lord lives, I will say whatever the Lord says to me."

15 So he went to the king, and the king asked him, "Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth-gilead for war, or should we refrain?" Micaiah told him, "March up and succeed. The Lord will hand it over to the king."

16 But the king said to him, "How many times must I make you swear not to tell me anything but the truth in the name of the Lord?"

17 So Micaiah said: I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, 'They have no master; let everyone return home in peace.'

18 So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Didn't I tell you he never prophesies good about me, but only disaster?"

19 Then Micaiah said, "Therefore, hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and the whole heavenly host was standing by Him at His right hand and at His left hand.

20 And the Lord said, 'Who will entice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' So one was saying this and another was saying that.

21 "Then a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord, and said, 'I will entice him.'

22 "The Lord asked him, 'How?' "He said, 'I will go and become a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' "Then He said, 'You will certainly entice him and prevail. Go and do that.'

23 "You see, the Lord has put a lying spirit into the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the Lord has pronounced disaster against you."

24 Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah came up, hit Micaiah in the face, and demanded, "Did the Spirit of the Lord leave me to speak to you?"

25 Micaiah replied, "You will soon see when you go to hide yourself in an inner chamber on that day."

26 Then the king of Israel ordered, "Take Micaiah and return him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king's son,

27 and say, 'This is what the king says: Put this guy in prison and feed him only bread and water until I come back safely.' "

28 But Micaiah said, "If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me." Then he said, "Listen, all you people!"

29 Then the king of Israel and Judah's King Jehoshaphat went up to Ramoth-gilead.

30 But the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your royal attire." So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.

31 Now the king of Aram had ordered his 32 chariot commanders, "Do not fight with anyone at all except the king of Israel."

32 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they shouted, "He must be the king of Israel!" So they turned to fight against him, but Jehoshaphat cried out.

33 When the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

34 But a man drew his bow without taking special aim and struck the king of Israel through the joints of his armor. So he said to his charioteer, "Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am badly wounded!"

35 The battle raged throughout that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. He died that evening, and blood from his wound flowed into the bottom of the chariot.

36 Then the cry rang out in the army as the sun set, declaring: Each man to his own city, and each man to his own land!

37 So the king died and was brought to Samaria. They buried the king in Samaria.

38 Then someone washed the chariot at the pool of Samaria. The dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes bathed [in it], according to the word of the Lord that He had spoken.

39 The rest of the events of Ahab's [reign], along with all his accomplishments, the ivory palace he built, and all the cities he built, are written about in the Historical Record of Israel's Kings.

40 Ahab rested with his fathers, and his son Ahaziah became king in his place.

41 Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king over Judah in the fourth year of Israel's King Ahab.

42 Jehoshaphat was 35 years old when he became king; he reigned 25 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.

43 He walked in all the ways of his father Asa; he did not turn away from them but did what was right in the Lord's sight. However, the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

44 Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.

45 The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat's [reign], along with the might he exercised and how he waged war, are written about in the Historical Record of Judah's Kings.

46 He removed from the land the rest of the male shrine prostitutes who were left from the days of his father Asa.

47 There was no king in Edom; a deputy served as king.

48 Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go because the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber.

49 At that time, Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Let my servants go with your servants in the ships," but Jehoshaphat was not willing.

50 Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of his forefather David. His son Jehoram became king in his place.

51 Ahaziah son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Judah's King Jehoshaphat; he reigned over Israel two years.

52 He did what was evil in the Lord's sight. He walked in the way of his father, in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin.

53 He served Baal and worshiped him. He provoked the Lord God of Israel just as his father had done.

Amos 6

1 Woe to those who are at ease in Zion and to those who feel secure on the hill of Samaria- the notable people in this first of the nations, those the house of Israel comes to.

2 Cross over to Calneh and see; go from there to great Hamath; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours?

3 You dismiss any thought of the evil day and bring in a reign of violence.

4 They lie on beds [inlaid with] ivory, sprawled out on their couches, and dine on lambs from the flock and calves from the stall.

5 They improvise songs to the sound of the harp and invent their own musical instruments like David.

6 They drink wine by the bowlful and anoint themselves with the finest oils but do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.

7 Therefore, they will now go into exile as the first of the captives, and the feasting of those who sprawl out will come to an end.

8 The Lord God has sworn by Himself-the declaration of Yahweh, the God of Hosts: I loathe Jacob's pride and hate his citadels, so I will hand over the city and everything in it.

9 And if there are 10 men left in one house, they will die.

10 A close relative and a burner,will remove his corpse from the house. He will call to someone in the inner recesses of the house, "Any more with you?" That person will reply, "None." Then he will say, "Silence, because Yahweh's name must not be invoked."

11 For the Lord commands: The large house will be smashed to pieces, and the small house to rubble.

12 Do horses run on rock, or does someone plow [it] with oxen? Yet you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood-

13 you who rejoice over Lo-debar and say, "Didn't we capture Karnaim for ourselves by our own strength?"

14 But look, I am raising up a nation against you, house of Israel- [this is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the declaration of the Lord, the God of Hosts- and they will oppress you from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of the Arabah.