2 KINGS 7

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Elisha Promises Food  7:1 Then Elisha said, “Listen to the word of the LORD; thus says the LORD, ‘Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.’” 2 The royal officer on whose hand the king was leaning answered the man of God and said, “Behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” Then he said, “Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat of it.”
Four Lepers Relate Arameans’ Flight    3 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why do we sit here until we die? 4 If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ then the famine is in the city and we will die there; and if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us go over to the camp of the Arameans. If they spare us, we will live; and if they kill us, we will but die.” 5 They arose at twilight to go to the camp of the Arameans; when they came to the outskirts of the camp of the Arameans, behold, there was no one there. 6 For the Lord had caused the army of the Arameans to hear a sound of chariots and a sound of horses, even the sound of a great army, so that they said to one another, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.” 7 Therefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents and their horses and their donkeys, even the camp just as it was, and fled for their life. 8 When these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they entered one tent and ate and drank, and carried from there silver and gold and clothes, and went and hid them; and they returned and entered another tent and carried from there also, and went and hid them.
    9 Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, but we are keeping silent; if we wait until morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come, let us go and tell the king’s household.” 10 So they came and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and they told them, saying, “We came to the camp of the Arameans, and behold, there was no one there, nor the voice of man, only the horses tied and the donkeys tied, and the tents just as they were.” 11 The gatekeepers called and told it within the king’s household. 12 Then the king arose in the night and said to his servants, “I will now tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know that we are hungry; therefore they have gone from the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, ‘When they come out of the city, we will capture them alive and get into the city.’” 13 One of his servants said, “Please, let some men take five of the horses which remain, which are left in the city. Behold, they will be in any case like all the multitude of Israel who are left in it; behold, they will be in any case like all the multitude of Israel who have already perished, so let us send and see.” 14 They took therefore two chariots with horses, and the king sent after the army of the Arameans, saying, “Go and see.”
The Promise Fulfilled15 They went after them to the Jordan, and behold, all the way was full of clothes and equipment which the Arameans had thrown away in their haste. Then the messengers returned and told the king.
    16 So the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. Then a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD. 17 Now the king appointed the royal officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate; but the people trampled on him at the gate, and he died just as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him. 18 It happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, “Two measures of barley for a shekel and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, will be sold tomorrow about this time at the gate of Samaria.” 19 Then the royal officer answered the man of God and said, “Now behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?” And he said, “Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat of it.” 20 And so it happened to him, for the people trampled on him at the gate and he died.

2 KINGS 8

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Jehoram Restores the Shunammite’s Land  8:1 Now Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “Arise and go with your household, and sojourn wherever you can sojourn; for the LORD has called for a famine, and it will even come on the land for seven years.” 2 So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God, and she went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. 3 At the end of seven years, the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went out to appeal to the king for her house and for her field. 4 Now the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, “Please relate to me all the great things that Elisha has done.” 5 As he was relating to the king how he had restored to life the one who was dead, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and for her field. And Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, this is the woman and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.” 6 When the king asked the woman, she related it to him. So the king appointed for her a certain officer, saying, “Restore all that was hers and all the produce of the field from the day that she left the land even until now.”
Elisha Predicts Evil from Hazael    7 Then Elisha came to Damascus. Now Ben-hadad king of Aram was sick, and it was told him, saying, “The man of God has come here.” 8 The king said to Hazael, “Take a gift in your hand and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD by him, saying, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” 9 So Hazael went to meet him and took a gift in his hand, even every kind of good thing of Damascus, forty camels’ loads; and he came and stood before him and said, “Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to you, saying, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” 10 Then Elisha said to him, “Go, say to him, ‘You will surely recover,’ but the LORD has shown me that he will certainly die.” 11 He fixed his gaze steadily on him until he was ashamed, and the man of God wept. 12 Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” Then he answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the sons of Israel: their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword, and their little ones you will dash in pieces, and their women with child you will rip up.” 13 Then Hazael said, “But what is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?” And Elisha answered, “The LORD has shown me that you will be king over Aram.” 14 So he departed from Elisha and returned to his master, who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he answered, “He told me that you would surely recover.” 15 On the following day, he took the cover and dipped it in water and spread it on his face, so that he died. And Hazael became king in his place.
Another Jehoram Reigns in Judah    16 Now in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then the king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah became king. 17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18 He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab became his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the LORD. 19 However, the LORD was not willing to destroy Judah, for the sake of David His servant, since He had promised him to give a lamp to him through his sons always.
    20 In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves. 21 Then Joram crossed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him. And he arose by night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots; but his army fled to their tents. 22 So Edom revolted against Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time. 23 The rest of the acts of Joram and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
Ahaziah Succeeds Jehoram in Judah24 So Joram slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and Ahaziah his son became king in his place.
    25 In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign. 26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. 27 He walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD, like the house of Ahab had done, because he was a son-in-law of the house of Ahab.
    28 Then he went with Joram the son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead, and the Arameans wounded Joram. 29 So King Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. Then Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel because he was sick.

PROVERBS 9

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Wisdom’s Invitation9:1 Wisdom has built her house,

She has hewn out her seven pillars;

2 She has prepared her food, she has mixed her wine;

She has also set her table;

3 She has sent out her maidens, she calls

From the tops of the heights of the city:

4 “Whoever is naive, let him turn in here!”

To him who lacks understanding she says,

5 “Come, eat of my food

And drink of the wine I have mixed.

6 “Forsake your folly and live,

And proceed in the way of understanding.”

7 He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself,

And he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself.

8 Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you,

Reprove a wise man and he will love you.

9 Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser,

Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.

10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,

And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

11 For by me your days will be multiplied,

And years of life will be added to you.

12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,

And if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

13 The woman of folly is boisterous,

She is naive and knows nothing.

14 She sits at the doorway of her house,

On a seat by the high places of the city,

15 Calling to those who pass by,

Who are making their paths straight:

16 “Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,”

And to him who lacks understanding she says,

17 “Stolen water is sweet;

And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”

18 But he does not know that the dead are there,

That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

PSALM 68

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The God of Sinai and of the Sanctuary.For the choir director. A Psalm of David. A Song.
68:1 Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered,

And let those who hate Him flee before Him.

2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;

As wax melts before the fire,

So let the wicked perish before God.

3 But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God;

Yes, let them rejoice with gladness.

4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name;

Lift up a song for Him who rides through the deserts,

Whose name is the LORD, and exult before Him.

5 A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows,

Is God in His holy habitation.

6 God makes a home for the lonely;

He leads out the prisoners into prosperity,

Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

7 O God, when You went forth before Your people,

When You marched through the wilderness, Selah.

8 The earth quaked;

The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God;

Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

9 You shed abroad a plentiful rain, O God;

You confirmed Your inheritance when it was parched.

10 Your creatures settled in it;

You provided in Your goodness for the poor, O God.

11 The Lord gives the command;

The women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host:

12 “Kings of armies flee, they flee,

And she who remains at home will divide the spoil!”

13 When you lie down among the sheepfolds,

You are like the wings of a dove covered with silver,

And its pinions with glistening gold.

14 When the Almighty scattered the kings there,

It was snowing in Zalmon.

15 A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan;

A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan.

16 Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks,

At the mountain which God has desired for His abode?

Surely the LORD will dwell there forever.

17 The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands;

The Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness.

18 You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives;

You have received gifts among men,

Even among the rebellious also, that the LORD God may dwell there.

19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden,

The God who is our salvation. Selah.

20 God is to us a God of deliverances;

And to GOD the Lord belong escapes from death.

21 Surely God will shatter the head of His enemies,

The hairy crown of him who goes on in his guilty deeds.

22 The Lord said, “I will bring them back from Bashan.

I will bring them back from the depths of the sea;

23 That your foot may shatter them in blood,

The tongue of your dogs may have its portion from your enemies.”

24 They have seen Your procession, O God,

The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary.

25 The singers went on, the musicians after them,

In the midst of the maidens beating tambourines.

26 Bless God in the congregations,

Even the LORD, you who are of the fountain of Israel.

27 There is Benjamin, the youngest, ruling them,

The princes of Judah in their throng,

The princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

28 Your God has commanded your strength;

Show Yourself strong, O God, who have acted on our behalf.

29 Because of Your temple at Jerusalem

Kings will bring gifts to You.

30 Rebuke the beasts in the reeds,

The herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples,

Trampling under foot the pieces of silver;

He has scattered the peoples who delight in war.

31 Envoys will come out of Egypt;

Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God.

32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth,

Sing praises to the Lord, Selah.

33 To Him who rides upon the highest heavens, which are from ancient times;

Behold, He speaks forth with His voice, a mighty voice.

34 Ascribe strength to God;

His majesty is over Israel

And His strength is in the skies.

35 O God, You are awesome from Your sanctuary.

The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people.

Blessed be God!

PSALM 69

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A Cry of Distress and Imprecation on Adversaries.For the choir director; according to Shoshannim. A Psalm of David.
69:1 Save me, O God,

For the waters have threatened my life.

2 I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold;

I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me.

3 I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched;

My eyes fail while I wait for my God.

4 Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head;

Those who would destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies;

What I did not steal, I then have to restore.

5 O God, it is You who knows my folly,

And my wrongs are not hidden from You.

6 May those who wait for You not be ashamed through me, O Lord GOD of hosts;

May those who seek You not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel,

7 Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;

Dishonor has covered my face.

8 I have become estranged from my brothers

And an alien to my mother’s sons.

9 For zeal for Your house has consumed me,

And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.

10 When I wept in my soul with fasting,

It became my reproach.

11 When I made sackcloth my clothing,

I became a byword to them.

12 Those who sit in the gate talk about me,

And I am the song of the drunkards.

13 But as for me, my prayer is to You, O LORD, at an acceptable time;

O God, in the greatness of Your lovingkindness,

Answer me with Your saving truth.

14 Deliver me from the mire and do not let me sink;

May I be delivered from my foes and from the deep waters.

15 May the flood of water not overflow me

Nor the deep swallow me up,

Nor the pit shut its mouth on me.

16 Answer me, O LORD, for Your lovingkindness is good;

According to the greatness of Your compassion, turn to me,

17 And do not hide Your face from Your servant,

For I am in distress; answer me quickly.

18 Oh draw near to my soul and redeem it;

Ransom me because of my enemies!

19 You know my reproach and my shame and my dishonor;

All my adversaries are before You.

20 Reproach has broken my heart and I am so sick.

And I looked for sympathy, but there was none,

And for comforters, but I found none.

21 They also gave me gall for my food

And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

22 May their table before them become a snare;

And when they are in peace, may it become a trap.

23 May their eyes grow dim so that they cannot see,

And make their loins shake continually.

24 Pour out Your indignation on them,

And may Your burning anger overtake them.

25 May their camp be desolate;

May none dwell in their tents.

26 For they have persecuted him whom You Yourself have smitten,

And they tell of the pain of those whom You have wounded.

27 Add iniquity to their iniquity,

And may they not come into Your righteousness.

28 May they be blotted out of the book of life

And may they not be recorded with the righteous.

29 But I am afflicted and in pain;

May Your salvation, O God, set me securely on high.

30 I will praise the name of God with song

And magnify Him with thanksgiving.

31 And it will please the LORD better than an ox

Or a young bull with horns and hoofs.

32 The humble have seen it and are glad;

You who seek God, let your heart revive.

33 For the LORD hears the needy

And does not despise His who are prisoners.

34 Let heaven and earth praise Him,

The seas and everything that moves in them.

35 For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah,

That they may dwell there and possess it.

36 The descendants of His servants will inherit it,

And those who love His name will dwell in it.