Through the Bible – Day 132

₇Some time later Elisha went to the capital city of Damascus to visit King Benhadad of Syria, who was sick. And when Benhadad was told he was there, ₈he said to Hazael, “Go and see Elisha the man of God and get him to ask the LORD if I will get well. And take along a gift for him.”

₉Hazael left with forty camel loads of the best things made in Damascus as a gift for Elisha. He found the prophet and said, “Your servant, King Benhadad, wants to know if he will get well.”

₁₀“Tell him he will,” Elisha said to Hazael. “But the LORD has already told me that Benhadad will definitely die.” ₁₁Elisha stared at him until Hazael was embarrassed, then Elisha began crying.

₁₂“Sir, why are you crying?” Hazael asked.

Elisha answered, “Because I know the terrible things you will do to the people of Israel. You will burn down their walled cities and slaughter their young men. You will even crush the heads of their babies and rip open their pregnant women.”

₁₃“How could I ever do anything like that?” Hazael replied. “I'm only a servant and don't have that kind of power.”

“Hazael, the LORD has told me that you will be the next king of Syria.”

₁₄Hazael went back to Benhadad and told him, “Elisha said that you will get well.” ₁₅But the very next day, Hazael got a thick blanket; he soaked it in water and held it over Benhadad's face until he died. Hazael then became king.

₁₆Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat became king of Judah in Joram's fifth year as king of Israel, while Jehoshaphat was still king of Judah. ₁₇Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he ruled eight years from Jerusalem.

₁₈Jehoram disobeyed the LORD by doing wrong. He married Ahab's daughter and was as sinful as Ahab's family and the kings of Israel. ₁₉But the LORD refused to destroy Judah, because he had promised his servant David that someone from his family would always rule in Judah.

₂₀While Jehoram was king, the people of Edom rebelled and chose their own king. ₂₁So Jehoram and his cavalry marched to Zair, where the Edomite army surrounded him and his commanders. During the night he attacked the Edomites, but he was defeated, and his troops escaped to their homes. ₂₂Judah was never able to regain control of Edom. Even the town of Libnah rebelled at that time.

₂₃Everything else Jehoram did while he was king is written in The History of the Kings of Judah. ₂₄Jehoram died and was buried beside his ancestors in Jerusalem. His son Ahaziah then became king.

₂₅Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah in the twelfth year of Joram's rule in Israel. ₂₆Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he ruled from Jerusalem for only one year. His mother was Athaliah, a granddaughter of King Omri of Israel. ₂₇Since Ahaziah was related to Ahab's family, he acted just like them and disobeyed the LORD by doing wrong.

₂₈Ahaziah went with King Joram of Israel to attack King Hazael and the Syrian troops at Ramoth in Gilead. Joram was wounded in that battle, ₂₉so he went to the town of Jezreel to recover. Ahaziah went there to visit him.

₁One day, Elisha called for one of the other prophets and said:

₄The young prophet left for Ramoth. ₅When he arrived, the army officers were meeting together. “Sir, I have a message for you,” he said.

“For which one of us?” Jehu asked.

“You, sir,” the prophet answered. ₆So Jehu got up and went inside. The prophet poured olive oil on Jehu's head and told him:

Then the young prophet opened the door and ran out.

₁₁Jehu went back to his officers, and one of them asked, “What did that mad prophet want? Is everything all right?”

“You know him and how he talks,” Jehu answered.

₁₂“No, we don't. What did he say?” they asked.

“He had a message from the LORD,” Jehu replied. “He said that the LORD has chosen me to be the next king of Israel.”

₁₃They quickly grabbed their coats and spread them out on the steps where Jehu was standing. Someone blew a trumpet, and everyone shouted, “Jehu is king!”

_14-16King Joram of Israel had been badly wounded in the battle at Ramoth, trying to defend it against King Hazael and the Syrian army. Joram was now recovering in Jezreel, and King Ahaziah of Judah was there, visiting him.

Meanwhile, Jehu was in Ramoth, making plans to kill Joram. He said to his officers, “If you want me to be king, then don't let anyone leave this town. They might go to Jezreel and tell Joram.” Then Jehu got in his chariot and rode to Jezreel.

₁₇When the guard in the watchtower at Jezreel saw Jehu and his men riding up, he shouted to the king, “I see some men coming this way.”

Joram ordered, “Send someone out to ask them if this is a friendly visit.”

₁₈One of the soldiers rode out and said to Jehu, “King Joram wants to know if this is a friendly visit.”

“What's it to you?” Jehu asked. “Just stay behind me with the rest of my troops!”

About the same time the guard in the watchtower said, “Your Majesty, the rider got there, but he isn't coming back.”

₁₉So Joram sent out another rider, who rode up to Jehu and said, “The king wants to know if this is a friendly visit.”

“What's it to you?” Jehu asked. “Just get behind me with the rest of my troops!”

₂₀The guard in the watchtower said, “Your Majesty, the rider got there, but he isn't coming back either. Wait a minute! That one man is a reckless chariot driver—it must be Jehu!”

₂₁Joram commanded, “Get my chariot ready.” Then he and Ahaziah got in their chariots and rode out to meet Jehu. They all met on the land that had belonged to Naboth. ₂₂Joram asked, “Jehu, is this a peaceful visit?”

“How can there be peace?” Jehu asked. “Your mother Jezebel has caused everyone to worship idols and practise witchcraft.”

₂₃“Ahaziah, let's get out of here!” Joram yelled. “It's a trap!” As Joram tried to escape, ₂₄Jehu shot an arrow. It hit Joram between his shoulders, then it went through his heart and came out of his chest. He fell over dead in his chariot.

_25-26Jehu commanded his assistant Bidkar, “Get Joram's body and throw it in the field that Naboth once owned. Do you remember when you and I used to ride side by side behind Joram's father Ahab? It was then that the LORD swore to Ahab that he would be punished in the same field where he had killed Naboth and his sons. So throw Joram's body there, just as the LORD said.”

₂₇Ahaziah saw all this happen and tried to escape to the town of Beth-Haggan, but Jehu caught up with him and shouted, “Kill him too!” So his troops shot Ahaziah with an arrow while he was on the road to Gur near Ibleam. He went as far as Megiddo, where he died. ₂₈Ahaziah's officers put his body in a chariot and took it back to Jerusalem, where they buried him beside his ancestors.

₂₉Ahaziah had become king of Judah in the eleventh year of the rule of Ahab's son Joram.

₃₀Jehu headed towards Jezreel, and when Jezebel heard he was coming, she put on eye shadow and brushed her hair. Then she stood at the window, waiting for him to arrive. ₃₁As he walked through the city gate, she shouted down to him, “Why did you come here, you murderer? To kill the king? You're no better than Zimri!”

₃₂He looked up towards the window and asked, “Is anyone up there on my side?” A few palace workers stuck their heads out of a window, ₃₃and Jehu shouted, “Throw her out of the window!” They threw her down, and her blood splattered on the walls and on the horses that trampled her body.

₃₄Jehu left to get something to eat and drink. Then he told some workers, “Even though she was evil, she was a king's daughter, so make sure she has a proper burial.”

₃₅But when they went out to bury her body, they found only her skull, her hands, and her feet. ₃₆They reported this to Jehu, and he said, “The LORD told Elijah the prophet that Jezebel's body would be eaten by dogs here in Jezreel. ₃₇And he warned that her bones would be spread all over the ground like manure, so that no one could tell who it was.”

₂₉The next day, John saw Jesus coming towards him and said:

₃₅The next day, John was there again, and two of his followers were with him. ₃₆When he saw Jesus walking by, he said, “Here is the Lamb of God!” ₃₇John's two followers heard him, and they went with Jesus.

₃₈When Jesus turned and saw them, he asked, “What do you want?”

They answered, “Rabbi, where do you live?” The Hebrew word “Rabbi” means “Teacher”.

₃₉Jesus replied, “Come and see!” It was already about four o'clock in the afternoon when they went with him and saw where he lived. So they stayed on for the rest of the day.

₄₀One of the two men who had heard John and had gone with Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. ₄₁The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother and tell him, “We have found the Messiah!” The Hebrew word “Messiah” means the same as the Greek word “Christ”.

₄₂Andrew brought his brother to Jesus. And when Jesus saw him, he said, “Simon son of John, you will be called Cephas.” This name can be translated as “Peter”.

_43-44The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. There he met Philip, who was from Bethsaida, the home town of Andrew and Peter. Jesus said to Philip, “Come with me.”

₄₅Philip then found Nathanael and said, “We have found the one that Moses and the Prophets wrote about. He is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.”

₄₆Nathanael asked, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

Philip answered, “Come and see.”

₄₇When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said, “Here is a true descendant of our ancestor Israel. And he isn't deceitful.”

₄₈“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”

₄₉Nathanael said, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God and the King of Israel!”

₅₀Jesus answered, “Did you believe me just because I said that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see something even greater. ₅₁I tell you for certain that you will see heaven open and God's angels going up and coming down on the Son of Man.”