American Standard Version of 1901
Versliste
and sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.
And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he were going to Jerusalem.
And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we bid fire to come down from heaven, and consume them {Many ancient authorities add even as Elijah did Compare 2 Kings 1:10-12}?
But he turned, and rebuked them {Some ancient authorities add and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of Some, but fewer add also For the Son of man came not to destroy men's lives but to save them. Compare chapter 19:10; John 3:17; 12:47. }.
And they went to another village.
And of the children of Issachar, men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.
And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the {Or, chariot}chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof!And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
And he began to say unto them, To-day hath this scripture been fulfilled in your ears.
And all bare him witness, and wondered at the words of grace which proceeded out of his mouth: and they said, Is not this Joseph's son?
And he said unto them, Doubtless ye will say unto me this parable, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done at Capernaum, do also here in thine own country.
And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is acceptable in his own country.
But of a truth I say unto you, There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land;
and unto none of them was Elijah sent, but only to {Greek: Sarepta.}Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.
And they were all filled with wrath in the synagogue, as they heard these things;
and they rose up, and cast him forth out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong.
But he passing through the midst of them went his way.
He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.
The unclean spirit when {Or, it}he is gone out of the man, passeth through waterless places, seeking rest, and finding none, {Or, it}he saith, I will turn back unto my house whence I came out.
And when {Or, it}he is come, {Or, it}he findeth it swept and garnished.
Then goeth {Or, it}he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more evil than {Or, itself}himself; and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man becometh worse than the first.
And he called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.
And he sent them forth to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal {Some ancient authorities omit the sick.}the sick.
And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staff, nor wallet, nor bread, nor money; neither have two coats.
And into whatsoever house ye enter, there abide, and thence depart.
And as many as receive you not, when ye depart from that city, shake off the dust from your feet for a testimony against them.
And they departed, and went throughout the villages, preaching the {Or, good tidings}gospel, and healing everywhere.
Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done: and he was much perplexed, because that it was said by some, that John was risen from the dead;
and by some, that Elijah had appeared; and by others, that one of the old prophets was risen again.
And Herod said, John I beheaded: but who is this, about whom I hear such things? And he sought to see him.
And the apostles, when they were returned, declared unto him what things they had done. And he took them, and withdrew apart to a city, called Bethsaida.
But the multitudes perceiving it followed him: and he welcomed them, and spake to them of the kingdom of God, and them that had need of healing he cured.
And the day began to wear away; and the twelve came, and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages and country round about, and lodge, and get provisions: for we are here in a desert place.
But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more than five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy food for all this people.
For they were about five thousand men. And he said unto his disciples, Make them {Greek: recline.}sit down in companies, about fifty each.
And they did so, and made them all {Greek: recline.}sit down.
And he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake; and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude.
And they ate, and were all filled: and there was taken up that which remained over to them of broken pieces, twelve baskets.
And it came to pass, as he was praying apart, the disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Who do the multitudes say that I am?
And they answering said, John the Baptist; but others say, Elijah; and others, that one of the old prophets is risen again.
And he said unto them, But who say ye that I am? And Peter answering said, The Christ of God.
But he charged them, and commanded them to tell this to no man;
saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.
And he said unto all, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
For whosoever would save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
For what is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose or forfeit his own self?
For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in his own glory, and the glory of the Father, and of the holy angels.
But I tell you of a truth, There are some of them that stand here, who shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.
And it came to pass about eight days after these sayings, that he took with him Peter and John and James, and went up into the mountain to pray.
And as he was praying, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became white and dazzling.
And behold, there talked with him two men, who were Moses and Elijah;
who appeared in glory, and spake of his {Or, departure}decease which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
Now Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: but {Or, having remained awake.}when they were fully awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him.
And it came to pass, as they were parting from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three {Or, booths}tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah: not knowing what he said.
And while he said these things, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud.
And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is {Many ancient authorities read my beloved Son. See Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7}my Son, my chosen: hear ye him.
And when the voice {Or, was past}came, Jesus was found alone. And they held their peace, and told no man in those days any of the things which they had seen.
And it came to pass, on the next day, when they were come down from the mountain, a great multitude met him.
And behold, a man from the multitude cried, saying, Teacher, I beseech thee to look upon my son; for he is mine only child:
and behold, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it {Or, convulseth}teareth him that he foameth, and it hardly departeth from him, bruising him sorely.
And I besought thy disciples to cast it out; and they could not.
And Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and bear with you? bring hither thy son.
And as he was yet a coming, the demon {Or, rent him}dashed him down, and {Or, convulsed}tare him grievously. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
And they were all astonished at the majesty of God.But while all were marvelling at all the things which he did, he said unto his disciples,
Let these words sink into your ears: for the Son of man shall be {Or, betrayed}delivered up into the hands of men.
But they understood not this saying, and it was concealed from them, that they should not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
And there arose a {Or, questioning}reasoning among them, which of them was the {Greek: greater.}greatest.
But when Jesus saw the {Or, questioning}reasoning of their heart, he took a little child, and set him by his side,
and said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this little child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is {Greek: lesser.}least among you all, the same is great.
And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out demons in thy name; and we forbade him, because he followeth not with us.
But Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against you is for you.
And it came to pass, when the days {Greek: were being filled.}were well-nigh come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,
and sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.
And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he were going to Jerusalem.
And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we bid fire to come down from heaven, and consume them {Many ancient authorities add even as Elijah did Compare 2 Kings 1:10-12}?
But he turned, and rebuked them {Some ancient authorities add and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of Some, but fewer add also For the Son of man came not to destroy men's lives but to save them. Compare chapter 19:10; John 3:17; 12:47. }.
And they went to another village.
And as they went on the way, a certain man said unto him, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
And Jesus said unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven have {Greek: lodging-places.}nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
But he said unto him, Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but go thou and publish abroad the kingdom of God.
And another also said, I will follow thee, Lord; but first suffer me to bid farewell to them that are at my house.
But Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by reason of a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.
Then answered Haggai and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith Jehovah; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.
And now, I pray you, consider from this day and backward, before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of Jehovah.
a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways.
And it came to pass after many days, that the word of Jehovah came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, Go, show thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.
And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab. And the famine was sore in Samaria.
And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared Jehovah greatly:
for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of Jehovah, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go through the land, unto all the fountains of water, and unto all the brooks: peradventure we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, {Or, and lose none of}that we lose not all the beasts.
So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Is it thou, my lord Elijah?
And he answered him, It is I: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
And he said, Wherein have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?
As Jehovah thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not here, he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not.
And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
And it will come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of Jehovah will carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he will slay me: but I thy servant fear Jehovah from my youth.
Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of Jehovah, how I hid a hundred men of Jehovah's prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here; and he will slay me.
And Elijah said, As Jehovah of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself unto him to-day.
So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Is it thou, thou troubler of Israel?
And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of Jehovah, and thou hast followed the Baalim.
Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the Asherah four hundred, that eat at Jezebel's table.
So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.
And Elijah came near unto all the people, and said, How long go ye limping between the two sides? if Jehovah be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, am left a prophet of Jehovah; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under; and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under.
And call ye on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Jehovah; and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.
And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under.
And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, {Or, answer}hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they {Or, limped}leaped about the altar which was made.
And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud; for he is a god: either he is musing, or he is gone aside, or he is on a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth and must be awaked.
And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with {Or, swords}knives and lances, till the blood gushed out upon them.
And it was so, when midday was past, that they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening oblation; but there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any {Hebrew: attention.}that regarded.
And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me; and all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of Jehovah that was thrown down.
And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of Jehovah came, saying, Israel shall be thy name.
And with the stones he built an altar in the name of Jehovah; and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain {Or, a two-seah measure}two measures of seed.
And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the wood. And he said, Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt-offering, and on the wood.
And he said, Do it the second time; and they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time; and they did it the third time.
And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening oblation, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, O Jehovah, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
Hear me, O Jehovah, hear me, that this people may know that thou, Jehovah, art God, {Or, for thou didst turn their heart backward}and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
Then the fire of Jehovah fell, and consumed the burnt-offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, Jehovah, he is God; Jehovah, he is God.
And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.
And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.
So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees.
And he said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a cloud out of the sea, as small as a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, {Or, Yoke}Make ready thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.
And it came to pass in a little while, that the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel:
and the hand of Jehovah was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
What then? only that in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and therein I rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.
But I will deliver thee in that day, saith Jehovah; and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid.
And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of Jehovah unto Beth-el: and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense.
And he cried against the altar by the word of Jehovah, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith Jehovah: Behold, a son shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he sacrifice the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall they burn upon thee.
And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which Jehovah hath spoken: Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.
And it came to pass, when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Beth-el, that Jeroboam put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back again to him.
The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of Jehovah.
And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Entreat now the favor of Jehovah thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God entreated Jehovah, and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.
And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.
And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thy house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place;
for so was it charged me by the word of Jehovah, saying, Thou shalt eat no bread, nor drink water, neither return by the way that thou camest.
So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Beth-el.
Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el; and {Hebrew: his son.}one of his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Beth-el: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them also they told unto their father.
And their father said unto them, What way went he? Now his sons had {Or, as otherwise read, showed him.}seen what way the man of God went, that came from Judah.
And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass; and he rode thereon.
And he went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an {Or, terebinth}oak; and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am.
Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.
And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee; neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place:
for it was said to me by the word of Jehovah, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.
And he said unto him, I also am a prophet as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of Jehovah, saying, Bring him back with thee into thy house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.
So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.
And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of Jehovah came unto the prophet that brought him back;
and he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, Forasmuch as thou hast {Or, rebelled against the word}been disobedient unto the mouth of Jehovah, and hast not kept the commandment which Jehovah thy God commanded thee,
but camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he said to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy body shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.
And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back.
And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his body was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it; the lion also stood by the body.
And, behold, men passed by, and saw the body cast in the way, and the lion standing by the body; and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.
And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who {Or, rebelled against the word}was disobedient unto the mouth of Jehovah: therefore Jehovah hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake unto him.
And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled it.
And he went and found his body cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the body: the lion had not eaten the body, nor torn the ass.
And the prophet took up the body of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back; and he came to the city of the old prophet, to mourn, and to bury him.
And he laid his body in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!
And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones.
For the saying which he cried by the word of Jehovah against the altar in Beth-el, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.
After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again from among all the people priests of the high places: {Or, whomsoever he would}whosoever would, he consecrated him, that there might be priests of the high places.
And {Or, by this thing he became}this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.
For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, railers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and he joined affinity with Ahab.
And after certain years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that were with him, and moved him to go up with him to Ramoth-gilead.
And Ahab king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramoth-gilead? And he answered him, I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the war.
And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Inquire {Hebrew: to-day.}first, I pray thee, for the word of Jehovah.
Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for God will deliver it into the hand of the king.
But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah besides, that we may inquire of him?
And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Jehovah: but I hate him; for he never prophesieth good concerning me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.
Then the king of Israel called an {Or, eunuch}officer, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imla.
Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, and they were sitting in {Hebrew: a threshing-floor.}an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them.
And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron, and said, Thus saith Jehovah, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until they be consumed.
And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper; for Jehovah will deliver it into the hand of the king.
And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spake to him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one mouth: let thy word therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good.
And Micaiah said, As Jehovah liveth, what my God saith, that will I speak.
And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, {Hebrew: Micah.}Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And he said, Go ye up, and prosper; and they shall be delivered into your hand.
And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou speak unto me nothing but the truth in the name of Jehovah?
And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd: and Jehovah said, These have no master; let them return every man to his house in peace.
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?
And Micaiah said, Therefore hear ye the word of Jehovah: I saw Jehovah sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left.
And Jehovah said, Who shall {Or, deceive}entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one spake saying after this manner, and another saying after that manner.
And there came forth {Hebrew: the spirit.}a spirit, and stood before Jehovah, and said, I will entice him. And Jehovah said unto him, Wherewith?
And he said, I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt entice him, and shalt prevail also: go forth, and do so.
Now therefore, behold, Jehovah hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets; and Jehovah hath spoken evil concerning thee.
Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah upon the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of Jehovah from me to speak unto thee?
And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see on that day, when thou shalt go {Or, from chamber to chamber}into an inner chamber to hide thyself.
And the king of Israel said, Take ye Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son;
and say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I return in peace.
And Micaiah said, If thou return at all in peace, Jehovah hath not spoken by me. And he said, Hear, ye peoples, all of you.
So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.
And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and go into the battle; but put thou on thy robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself; and they went into the battle.
Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel.
And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they turned about to fight against him: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and Jehovah helped him; and God moved them to depart from him.
And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him.
And a certain man drew his bow {Hebrew: in his simplicity.}at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between {Or, the lower armor and the breastplate}the joints of the armor: wherefore he said to the driver of the chariot, Turn thy hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am sore wounded.
And the battle increased that day: howbeit the king of Israel stayed himself up in his chariot against the Syrians until the even; and about the time of the going down of the sun he died.
Then there arose a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.
For there were that said, We, our sons and our daughters, are many: let us get grain, that we may eat and live.
Some also there were that said, We are mortgaging our fields, and our vineyards, and our houses: let us get grain, because of the dearth.
There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute upon our fields and our vineyards.
Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought into bondage already: neither is it in our power to help it; for other men have our fields and our vineyards.
And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.
Then I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the {Or, deputies}rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I held a great assembly against them.
And I said unto them, We after our ability have {Hebrew: bought.}redeemed our brethren the Jews, that were sold unto the nations; and would ye even sell your brethren, and should they be sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and found never a word.
Also I said, The thing that ye do is not good: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God, because of the reproach of the nations our enemies?
And I likewise, my brethren and my servants, do lend them money and grain. I pray you, let us leave off this usury.
Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their fields, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them.
Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do, even as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they would do according to this promise.
Also I shook out my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that performeth not this promise; even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the assembly said, Amen, and praised Jehovah. And the people did according to this promise.
Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.
But the former governors that were before me {Or, laid burdens upon}were chargeable unto the people, and took of them bread and wine, {Or, at the rate of Or, afterward}besides forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants {Or, lorded over}bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.
Yea, also I {Hebrew: held fast to.}continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land: and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work.
Moreover there were at my table, of the Jews and the {Or, deputies}rulers, a hundred and fifty men, besides those that came unto us from among the nations that were round about us.
Now that which was prepared for one day was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this I demanded not the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.
Remember unto me, O my God, for good, all that I have done for this people.
Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle;
the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying,
Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and {In verse 36, Beth-nimrah.}Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and {In verse 38, Sibmah.}Sebam, and Nebo, and {In verse 28, Baal-meon.}Beon,
the land which Jehovah smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle; and thy servants have cattle.
And they said, If we have found favor in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession; bring us not over the Jordan.
And Moses said unto the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to the war, and shall ye sit here?
And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which Jehovah hath given them?
Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.
For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which Jehovah had given them.
And Jehovah's anger was kindled in that day, and he sware, saying,
Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me:
save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun; because they have wholly followed Jehovah.
And Jehovah's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander to and fro in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of Jehovah, was consumed.
And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers' stead, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of Jehovah toward Israel.
For if ye turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and ye will destroy all this people.
And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones:
but we ourselves will be ready armed to go before the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.
We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance.
For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan, and forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side of the Jordan eastward.
And Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will arm yourselves to go before Jehovah to the war,
and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before Jehovah, until he hath driven out his enemies from before him,
and the land is subdued before Jehovah; then afterward ye shall return, and be guiltless towards Jehovah, and towards Israel; and this land shall be unto you for a possession before Jehovah.
But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against Jehovah; and be sure your sin will find you out.
Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which hath proceeded out of your mouth.
And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spake unto Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth.
Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead;
but thy servants will pass over, every man that is armed for war, before Jehovah to battle, as my lord saith.
So Moses gave charge concerning them to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the children of Israel.
And Moses said unto them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over the Jordan, every man that is armed to battle, before Jehovah, and the land shall be subdued before you; then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession:
but if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.
And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, As Jehovah hath said unto thy servants, so will we do.
We will pass over armed before Jehovah into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us beyond the Jordan.
And Moses gave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and unto the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, according to the cities thereof with their borders, even the cities of the land round about.
And the children of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,
and Atrothshophan, and Jazer, and Jogbehah,
and Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran: fortified cities, and folds for sheep.
And the children of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kiriathaim,
and Nebo, and Baal-meon, (their names being changed,) and Sibmah: and they gave other names unto the cities which they builded.
And the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites that were therein.
And Moses gave Gilead unto Machir the son of Manasseh; and he dwelt therein.
And Jair the son of Manasseh went and took the towns thereof, and called them {That is, The towns of Jair.}Havvoth-jair.
And Nobah went and took Kenath, and the {Hebrew: daughters.}villages thereof, and called it Nobah, after his own name.