1 Kings 19; 1 Kings 20; Luke 23:1-25

1 Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done. He told her how Elijah had killed all of the prophets with his sword.

2 So Jezebel sent a message to Elijah. She said, "You can be sure that I will kill you, just as I killed the other prophets. I'll do it by this time tomorrow. If I don't, may the gods punish me greatly."

3 Elijah was afraid. So he ran for his life. He came to Beersheba in Judah. He left his servant there.

4 Then he traveled for one day into the desert. He came to a small tree. He sat down under it. He prayed that he would die. "Lord, I've had enough," he said. "Take my life. I'm no better than my people of long ago."

5 Then he lay down under the tree. And he fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him. The angel said, "Get up and eat."

6 Elijah looked around. Near his head he saw a flat cake of bread. It had been baked over hot coals. A jar of water was also there. So Elijah ate and drank. Then he lay down again.

7 The angel of the LORD came to him a second time. He touched him and said, "Get up and eat. Your journey will be long and hard."

8 So he got up. He ate and drank. The food gave him new strength. He traveled for 40 days and 40 nights. He kept going until he arrived at Horeb. It was the mountain of God.

9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. A message came to Elijah from the Lord. He said, "Elijah, what are you doing here?"

10 He replied, "LORD God who rules over all, I've been very committed to you. The people of Israel have turned their backs on your covenant. They have torn down your altars. They've put your prophets to death with their swords. I'm the only one left. And they are trying to kill me."

11 The LORD said, "Go out. Stand on the mountain in front of me. I am going to pass by." As the LORD approached, a very powerful wind tore the mountains apart. It broke up the rocks. But the LORD wasn't in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake. But the LORD wasn't in the earthquake.

12 After the earthquake a fire came. But the LORD wasn't in the fire. And after the fire there was only a gentle whisper.

13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his coat over his face. He went out and stood at the entrance to the cave. Then a voice said to him, "Elijah, what are you doing here?"

14 He replied, "LORD God who rules over all, I've been very committed to you. The people of Israel have turned their backs on your covenant. They have torn down your altars. They've put your prophets to death with their swords. I'm the only one left. And they are trying to kill me."

15 The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you came. Go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael as king over Aram.

16 Also anoint Jehu as king over Israel. He is the son of Nimshi. And anoint Elisha from Abel Meholah as the next prophet after you. He is the son of Shaphat.

17 Jehu will put to death anyone who escapes Hazael's sword. And Elisha will put to death anyone who escapes Jehu's sword.

18 "But I will keep 7,000 people in Israel for myself. They have not bowed down to Baal. And they have not kissed him."

19 Elijah left Mount Horeb. He saw Elisha, the son of Shaphat. Elisha was plowing in a field. He was driving the last of 12 pairs of oxen. Elijah went up to him. He threw his coat around him.

20 Then Elisha left his oxen. He ran after Elijah. "Let me kiss my father and mother good-by," he said. "Then I'll come with you." "Go back," Elijah replied. "What have I done to you?"

21 So Elisha left him and went back. He got his two oxen and killed them. He burned the plow to cook the meat. He gave it to the people, and they ate it. Then he started to follow Elijah. He became Elijah's assistant.

1 Ben-Hadad brought his whole army together. He was king of Aram. He went up to Samaria. He took 32 kings and their horses and chariots with him. All of them surrounded Samaria and attacked it.

2 Ben-Hadad sent messengers into the city. They spoke to Ahab, the king of Israel. They told him, "Ben-Hadad says,

3 'Your silver and gold belong to me. The best of your wives and children also belong to me.' "

4 The king of Israel replied, "What you say is true. You are my king and master. I belong to you. And everything I have belongs to you."

5 The messengers came again. They told Ahab, "Ben-Hadad says, 'I commanded you to give me your silver and gold. I also commanded you to give me your wives and children.

6 But now I'm going to send my officials to you. They will come about this time tomorrow. They'll search your palace. They'll search the houses of your officials. They'll take everything you value. And they'll carry all of it away.' "

7 The king of Israel sent for all of the elders of the land. He said to them, "This man is really looking for trouble! He sent for my wives and children. He sent for my silver and gold. And I agreed to give them to him."

8 All of the elders and people answered, "Don't listen to him. Don't agree to give him what he wants."

9 So Ahab replied to Ben-Hadad's messengers. He said, "Tell my king and master, 'I will do everything you commanded me to do the first time. But this time, I can't do what you want me to do.' " They took Ahab's answer back to Ben-Hadad.

10 Then Ben-Hadad sent another message to Ahab. It said, "There won't be enough dust left in Samaria to give each of my followers even a handful. If there is, may the gods punish me greatly."

11 The king of Israel replied. He said, "Tell him, 'Someone who puts his armor on shouldn't brag like someone who takes it off.' "

12 Ben-Hadad and the kings were in their tents drinking. That's when he heard the message. He ordered his men, "Get ready to attack." So they prepared to attack the city.

13 During that time a prophet came to Ahab, the king of Israel. He announced, "The LORD says, 'Do you see this huge army? I will hand it over to you today. Then you will know that I am the Lord.' "

14 "But who will do it?" Ahab asked. The prophet answered, "The LORD says, 'The young officers who are under the area commanders will do it.' " "And who will start the battle?" he asked. The prophet answered, "You will."

15 So Ahab sent for the young officers who were under the area commanders. The total number of officers was 232. Ahab gathered together the rest of the men of Israel. The total number of them was 7,000.

16 They started out at noon. At that time Ben-Hadad and the 32 kings who were helping him were in their tents. They were getting drunk.

17 The young officers who were under Ahab's area commanders marched out first. Ben-Hadad had sent out scouts. They came back and reported, "Men are marching against us from Samaria."

18 Ben-Hadad said, "They might be coming to make peace. If they are, take them alive. Or they might be coming to make war. If they are, take them alive."

19 The young officers marched out of the city. The army was right behind them.

20 Each man struck down the one who was fighting against him. When that happened, the army of Aram ran away. The men of Israel chased them. But Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram, escaped on a horse. Some of his horsemen escaped with him.

21 The king of Israel attacked them. He overpowered the horses and chariots. Large numbers of the men of Aram were wounded or killed.

22 After that, the prophet came to the king of Israel again. He said, "Make your position stronger. Do what needs to be done. Next spring the king of Aram will attack you again."

23 During that time, the officials of the king of Aram gave him advice. They said, "The gods of Israel are gods of the hills. That's why they were too strong for us. But suppose we fight them on the flatlands. Then we'll certainly be stronger than they are.

24 "Here's what you should do. Don't let any of the kings continue as military leaders. Have other officers take their places.

25 You must also put another army together. It should be just like the one you lost. It should have the same number of horses and chariots. Then we'll be able to fight against Israel on the flatlands. And we'll certainly be stronger than they are." Ben-Hadad agreed with their advice. He did what they suggested.

26 The next spring Ben-Hadad brought together the men of Aram. They went up to the city of Aphek to fight against Israel.

27 The men of Israel were also brought together. They were given supplies. They marched out to fight against their enemies. Israel's army camped across from Aram's army. The men of Israel looked like two small flocks of goats that had become separated from the others. But the men of Aram covered the countryside.

28 The man of God came up to the king of Israel again. He told him, "The LORD says, 'The men of Aram think I am a god of the hills. They do not think I am a god of the valleys. So I will hand their huge army over to you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.' "

29 For seven days the two armies camped across from each other. On the seventh day the battle began. The men of Israel wounded or killed 100,000 Aramean soldiers on foot. That happened in a single day.

30 The rest of the men of Aram escaped to the city of Aphek. Its wall fell down on 27,000 of them. Ben-Hadad ran to the city. He hid in a secret room.

31 His officials said to him, "Look, we've heard that the kings of Israel's royal house often show mercy. So let's go to the king of Israel. Let's wear black clothes. Let's tie ropes around our heads. Perhaps Ahab will spare your life."

32 So they wore black clothes. They tied ropes around their heads. Then they went to the king of Israel. They told him, "Your servant Ben-Hadad says, 'Please let me live.' " The king answered, "Is he still alive? He used to be my friend."

33 The men thought that was good news. So they quickly used the word Ahab had used. "Yes! Your friend Ben-Hadad!" they said. "Go and get him," the king said. Ben-Hadad came out of the secret room. Then Ahab had him get into his chariot.

34 "I'll return the cities my father took from your father," Ben-Hadad offered. "You can set up your own market areas in Damascus. That's what my father did in Samaria." Ahab said, "If we sign a peace treaty, I'll set you free." So he made a treaty with him. Then Ahab let him go.

35 There was a group that was called the company of the prophets. A message from the LORD came to one of their members. He said to his companion, "Strike me down with your weapon." But the man wouldn't do it.

36 The prophet said, "You haven't obeyed the Lord. So as soon as you leave me, a lion will kill you." The companion went away. And a lion found him and killed him.

37 The prophet found another man. He said, "Please strike me down." So the man struck him down and wounded him.

38 Then the prophet went and stood by the road. He waited for the king to come by. He pulled his headband down over his eyes so no one would recognize him.

39 The king passed by. Then the prophet called out to him. He said, "I went into the middle of the battle. Someone came to me with a prisoner. He said, 'Guard this man. Don't let him get away. If he does, you will pay for his life with yours. Or you can pay 75 pounds of silver.'

40 While I was busy here and there, the man disappeared." "That's your sentence," the king of Israel told him. "You have said so yourself."

41 Then the prophet quickly removed the headband from his eyes. The king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.

42 He told the king, "The LORD says, 'You have set a man free. But I had said he should be set apart to the LORD in a special way to be destroyed. So you must pay for his life with yours. You must pay for his people's lives with the lives of your people.' "

43 The king of Israel was angry. He was in a bad mood. He went back to his palace in Samaria.

1 Then the whole group got up and led Jesus off to Pilate.

2 They began to bring charges against Jesus. They said, "We have found this man misleading our people. He is against paying taxes to Caesar. And he claims to be Christ, a king."

3 So Pilate asked Jesus, "Are you the king of the Jews?" "Yes. It is just as you say," Jesus replied.

4 Then Pilate spoke to the chief priests and the crowd. He announced, "I find no basis for a charge against this man.

5 But they kept it up. They said, "His teaching stirs up the people all over Judea. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here."

6 When Pilate heard this, he asked if the man was from Galilee.

7 He learned that Jesus was from Herod's area of authority. So Pilate sent Jesus to Herod. At that time Herod was also in Jerusalem.

8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very pleased. He had been wanting to see Jesus for a long time. He had heard much about him. He hoped to see Jesus do a miracle.

9 Herod asked him many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer.

10 The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there. With loud shouts they brought charges against him.

11 Herod and his soldiers laughed at him and made fun of him. They dressed him in a beautiful robe. Then they sent him back to Pilate.

12 That day Herod and Pilate became friends. Before this time they had been enemies.

13 Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people.

14 He said to them, "You brought me this man. You said he was turning the people against the authorities. I have questioned him in front of you. I have found no basis for your charges against him

15 Herod hasn't either. So he sent Jesus back to us. As you can see, Jesus has done nothing that is worthy of death.

16 So I will just have him whipped and let him go."

18 With one voice the crowd cried out, "Kill this man! Give Barabbas to us!"

19 Barabbas had been thrown into prison. He had taken part in a struggle in the city against the authorities. He had also committed murder

20 Pilate wanted to let Jesus go. So he made an appeal to the crowd again.

21 But they kept shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!

22 Pilate spoke to them for the third time. "Why?" he asked. "What wrong has this man done? I have found no reason to have him put to death. So I will just have him whipped and let him go."

23 But with loud shouts they kept calling for Jesus to be crucified. The people's shouts won out.

24 So Pilate decided to give them what they wanted.

25 He set free the man they asked for. The man had been thrown in prison for murder and for fighting against the authorities. Pilate gave Jesus over to them so they could carry out their plans.