Elisha Promises Food

1 But Elisha said, “Hear the word of the Lord: thus says the Lord, Tomorrow about this time a seah¹ of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel,² and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.” 2 Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned said to the man of God, “If the Lord himself should make ^mwindows in heaven, could this thing be?” But he said, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”

The Syrians Flee

3 Now there were four men who were lepers^{3 n}at the entrance to the gate. And they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die? 4 If we say, ‘Let us enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. So now come, let us go over to the camp of the Syrians. If they spare our lives we shall live, and if they kill us we shall but die.” 5 So they arose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians. But when they came to the edge of the camp of the Syrians, behold, there was no one there. 6 For the Lord had made the army of the Syrians ^ohear the sound of chariots and of horses, the sound of a great army, ^pso that they said to one another, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to come against us.” 7 So they fled away in the twilight and abandoned their tents, their horses, and their donkeys, leaving the camp as it was, and fled for their lives. 8 And when these lepers came to the edge of the camp, they went into a tent and ate and drank, and they carried off silver and gold and clothing and went and hid them. Then they came back and entered another tent and carried off things from it 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. If we are silent and wait until the 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 told them, “We came to the camp of the Syrians, and behold, there was no one to be seen or heard there, nothing but the horses tied and the donkeys tied and the tents as they were.” 11 Then the gatekeepers called out, and it was told within the king’s household. 12 And the king rose in the night and said to his servants, “I will tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry. Therefore they have gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the open country, thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we shall take them alive and get into the city.’” 13 And one of his servants said, “Let some men take five of the remaining horses, seeing that those who are left here will fare like the whole multitude of Israel who have already perished. Let us send and see.” 14 So they took two horsemen, and the king sent them after the army of the Syrians, saying, “Go and see.” 15 So they went after them as far as the Jordan, and behold, all the way was littered with garments and equipment that the Syrians had thrown away in their haste. And the messengers returned and told the king.

16 Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Syrians. So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, ^qaccording to the word of the Lord. 17 Now the king had appointed the captain ^ron whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. And the people trampled him in the gate, so that he died, as the man of God had said ^swhen the king came down to him. 18 For when the man of God had said to the king, “Two seahs of barley shall be sold for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel, about this time tomorrow in the gate of Samaria,” 19 the captain had answered the man of God, “If the Lord himself should make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?” And he had said, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.” 20 And so it happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gate and he died.

The Shunammite’s Land Restored

1 Now Elisha had said to ^tthe woman whose son he had restored to life, “Arise, and ^udepart with your household, and sojourn wherever you can, for the Lord has ^vcalled for a famine, and it will come upon the land for seven years.” 2 So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God. She went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. 3 And at the end of the seven years, when the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, she went to appeal to the king for her house and her land. 4 Now the king was talking with ^wGehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.” 5 And while he was telling the king how ^xElisha had restored the dead to life, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and her land. And Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, here is the woman, and here is her son whom Elisha restored to life.” 6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed an official for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers, together with all the produce of the fields from the day that she left the land until now.”

Hazael Murders Ben-hadad

7 Now Elisha came to Damascus. ^yBen-hadad the king of Syria was sick. And when it was told him, “The man of God has come here,” 8 the king said to ^zHazael, “Take a ^apresent with you and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the Lord through him, saying, ^b‘Shall I recover from this sickness?’” 9 So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, all kinds of goods of Damascus, forty camels’ loads. When he came and stood before him, he said, “Your son Ben-hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this sickness?’” 10 And Elisha said to him, “Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover,’ but⁴ the Lord has shown me that he shall certainly die.” 11 And he fixed his gaze and stared at him, until he was embarrassed. And the man of God wept. 12 And Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set on fire their fortresses, and you will ^ckill their young men with the sword and ^ddash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women.” 13 And Hazael said, “What is your servant, who is but a ^edog, that he should do this great thing?” Elisha answered, “The Lord has shown me that you are to be king over Syria.” 14 Then he departed from Elisha and came to his master, who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he answered, “He told me that you would certainly recover.” 15 But the next day he took the bed cloth⁵ and dipped it in water and spread it over his face, till he died. And Hazael became king in his place.

Jehoram Reigns in Judah

16 ^fIn the fifth year of ^gJoram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, when ^hJehoshaphat was king of Judah,^{6 i}Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, began to reign. 17 He was ^jthirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18 And he ^kwalked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he ^ldid what was evil in the sight of the Lord. 19 Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah, for the sake of David his servant, since ^mhe promised to give a ⁿlamp to him and to his sons forever.

20 In his days ^oEdom ^prevolted from the rule of Judah and set up a king of their own. 21 Then Joram⁷ passed over to Zair with all his chariots and rose by night, and he and his chariot commanders struck the Edomites who had surrounded him, but his army ^qfled home. 22 So Edom revolted from the rule of Judah ^rto this day. Then ^sLibnah revolted at the same time. 23 ^tNow the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the ^uBook of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 24 So Joram slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.

Ahaziah Reigns in Judah

25 ^vIn the twelfth year of ^wJoram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, ^xAhaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, began to reign. 26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was ^yAthaliah; she was a granddaughter of ^zOmri king of Israel. 27 He also ^awalked in the way of the house of Ahab and ^bdid what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was son-in-law to the house of Ahab.

28 He went with Joram the son of Ahab to make war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead, and the Syrians wounded Joram. 29 And King Joram ^creturned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

He

Righteousness Through Faith in Christ

1 Finally, my brothers,^{1 r}rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.

2 Look out for the ^sdogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who ^tmutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the ^ucircumcision, who ^vworship by the Spirit of God² and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the ^wflesh— 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. ^xIf anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the ^yeighth day, ^zof the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a ^aHebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a ^bPharisee; 6 as to ^czeal, a ^dpersecutor of the church; as to ^erighteousness under the law,³ blameless. 7 But whatever ^fgain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, ^gI count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. ^hFor his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a ⁱrighteousness of my own that comes from the law, but ^jthat which comes through ^kfaith in Christ, the ^lrighteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the ^mpower of his resurrection, and may ⁿshare his sufferings, ^obecoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may ^pattain the resurrection from the dead.

Straining Toward the Goal

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already ^qperfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: ^rforgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 ^sI press on toward the goal for the ^tprize of the upward ^ucall of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are ^vmature think this way, and if in anything ^wyou think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

17 Brothers, ^xjoin in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 ^yTheir end is destruction, their god is their ^zbelly, and they glory in their shame, with ^aminds set on earthly things. 20 But ^bour citizenship is ^cin heaven, and ^dfrom it we ^eawait a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will ^ftransform our ^glowly body to be ^hlike his ⁱglorious body, ^jby the power that enables him even to subject ^kall things to himself.

1 Therefore, my brothers,⁴ whom I love and long for, my ^ljoy and crown, ^mstand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

Exhortation, Encouragement, and Prayer

2 I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to ⁿagree in the Lord. 3 Yes, I ask you also, true companion,⁵ help these women, who have ^olabored⁶ side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the ^pbook of life.

4 ^qRejoice in the Lord ^ralways; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness⁷ be known to everyone. The Lord is ^sat hand; 6 ^tdo not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication ^uwith thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the ^vpeace of God, which ^wsurpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 ^xWhat you have learned⁸ and ^yreceived and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

God’s Provision

10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be ^zcontent. 12 I know ^ahow to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who ^bstrengthens me.

14 Yet it was kind of you to share⁹ my trouble. 15 And you Philippians yourselves know that ^cin the beginning of the gospel, ^dwhen I left Macedonia, ^eno church entered into ^fpartnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. 16 Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the ^gfruit that increases to your credit.¹⁰ 18 I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And ^hmy God will supply every need of yours according to his ⁱriches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 ^jTo our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. 22 ^kAll the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.

23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Greeting

1 Paul, a ^aprisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,

To Philemon our beloved fellow worker 2 and Apphia our sister and ^bArchippus our ^cfellow soldier, and ^dthe church in your house:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philemon’s Love and Faith

4 ^eI thank my God always when I ^fremember you in my prayers, 5 because ^gI hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full ^hknowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.¹ 7 For ⁱI have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.

Paul’s Plea for Onesimus

8 Accordingly, though I am ^jbold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, 9 yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— 10 ^kI appeal to you for my child, ^lOnesimus,² whose ^mfather I became in my imprisonment. 11 (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) 12 I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. 13 I would have been glad to keep him with me, ⁿin order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might ^onot be by compulsion but of your own accord. 15 For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 16 ^pno longer as a bondservant³ but more than a bondservant, as a beloved ^qbrother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

17 So if you consider me your ^rpartner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 ^sI, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

21 ^tConfident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do ^ueven more than I say. 22 At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for ^vI am hoping that ^wthrough your prayers I will be graciously given to you.

Final Greetings

23 ^xEpaphras, my ^yfellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, 24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, ^zDemas, and ^aLuke, my fellow workers.

25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.