Day 154 of 730

¹The word of the Lord came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying,

²"Because I exalted you out of the dust, and made you prince over my people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam, and have made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins;

³behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house; and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

⁴The dogs will eat Baasha's descendants who die in the city; and he who dies of his in the field the birds of the sky will eat."

⁵Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and his might, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

⁶Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah; and Elah his son reigned in his place.

⁷Moreover by the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came the word of the Lord against Baasha, and against his house, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he struck him.

⁸In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah for two years.

⁹His servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him. Now he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household in Tirzah:

¹⁰and Zimri went in and struck him, and killed him, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place.

¹¹It happened, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he struck all the house of Baasha: he did not leave him a single one who urinates on a wall, neither of his relatives, nor of his friends.

¹²Thus Zimri destroyed all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet,

¹³for all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned, and with which they made Israel to sin, to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger with their vanities.

¹⁴Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

¹⁵In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah. Now the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines.

¹⁶The people who were encamped heard say, Zimri has conspired, and has also struck the king: therefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp.

¹⁷Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah.

¹⁸It happened, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the castle of the king's house, and burnt the king's house over him with fire, and died,

¹⁹for his sins which he sinned in doing that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin.

²⁰Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his treason that he committed, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

²¹Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; and half followed Omri.

²²But the people who followed Omri prevailed against the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath: so Tibni died, and Omri reigned.

²³In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel for twelve years. He reigned six years in Tirzah.

²⁴He bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver; and he built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill, Samaria.

²⁵Omri did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and dealt wickedly above all who were before him.

²⁶For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sins with which he made Israel to sin, to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger with their vanities.

²⁷Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he showed, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

²⁸So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria; and Ahab his son reigned in his place.

²⁹In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years.

³⁰Ahab the son of Omri did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him.

³¹It happened, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshiped him.

³²He reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.

³³Ahab made the Asherah; and Ahab did yet more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

³⁴In his days Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho: he laid its foundation with the loss of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.

¹Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the foreigners of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word."

²The word of the Lord came to him, saying,

³"Go away from here, turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan.

⁴It shall be, that you shall drink of the brook. I have commanded the ravens to feed you there."

⁵So he went and did according to the word of the Lord; for he went and lived by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan.

⁶The ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.

⁷It happened after a while, that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

⁸The word of the Lord came to him, saying,

⁹"Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain you."

¹⁰So he arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks: and he called to her, and said, "Please get me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink."

¹¹As she was going to get it, he called to her, and said, "Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand."

¹²She said, "As the Lord your God lives, I do not have a cake, but a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the jar. Behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die."

¹³Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid. Go and do as you have said; but make me of it a little cake first, and bring it out to me, and afterward make some for you and for your son.

¹⁴For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'The jar of meal shall not empty, neither shall the jar of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.'"

¹⁵She went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, ate many days.

¹⁶The jar of meal did not empty, neither did the jar of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Elijah.

¹⁷It happened after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so severe, that there was no breath left in him.

¹⁸She said to Elijah, "What have I to do with you, you man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to memory, and to kill my son!"

¹⁹He said to her, "Give me your son." He took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into the room where he stayed, and laid him on his own bed.

²⁰He cried to the Lord, and said, "Lord my God, have you also brought disaster on the widow with whom I stay, by killing her son?"

²¹He stretched himself on the child three times, and cried to the Lord, and said, "Lord my God, please let this child's soul come into him again."

²²The Lord listened to the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.

²³Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the room into the house, and delivered him to his mother; and Elijah said, "Behold, your son lives."

²⁴The woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth."

¹Answer me when I call, God of my righteousness. Give me relief from my distress. Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

²You sons of men, how long shall my glory be turned into dishonor? Will you love vanity, and seek after falsehood? Selah.

³But know that the Lord has set apart for himself him who is godly: The Lord will hear when I call to him.

⁴When agitated, do not sin. Search your own heart on your bed, and be still. Selah.

⁵Offer the sacrifices of righteousness. Put your trust in the Lord.

⁶Many say, "Who will show us any good?" Lord, let the light of your face shine on us.

⁷You have put gladness in my heart, more than when their grain and their new wine are increased.

⁸In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you, the Lord alone, make me live in safety.

¹The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the oracle: the man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:

²"Surely I am the most ignorant man, and do not have a man's understanding.

³I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One.

⁴Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know?

⁵"Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

⁶Do not add to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar.

⁷"Two things I have asked of you; do not deny me before I die:

⁸Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me;

⁹lest I be full, deny you, and say, 'Who is the Lord?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.

¹⁰"Do not slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty.

¹¹There is a generation that curses their father, and doesn't bless their mother.

¹²There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet are not washed from their filthiness.

¹³There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up.

¹⁴There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and their jaws like knives, to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men.

¹⁵"The leach has two daughters: 'Give, give.' "There are three things that are never satisfied; four that do not say, 'Enough:'

¹⁶Sheol, the barren womb; the earth that is not satisfied with water; and the fire that doesn't say, 'Enough.'

¹⁷"The eye that mocks at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother: the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it.

¹⁸"There are three things which are too amazing for me, four which I do not understand:

¹⁹The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent on a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maiden.

²⁰"So is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats and wipes her mouth, and says, 'I have done nothing wrong.'

²¹"For three things the earth tremble, and under four, it can't bear up:

²²For a servant when he is king; a fool when he is filled with food;

²³for an unloved woman when she is married; and a handmaid who is heir to her mistress.

²⁴"There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise:

²⁵the ants are not a strong people, yet they provide their food in the summer.

²⁶The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks.

²⁷The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks.

²⁸You can catch a lizard with your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces.

²⁹"There are three things which are stately in their march, four which are stately in going:

³⁰The lion, which is mightiest among animals, and doesn't turn away for any;

³¹the greyhound, the male goat also; and the king against whom there is no rising up.

³²"If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, or if you have thought evil, put your hand over your mouth.

³³For as the churning of milk brings forth butter, and the wringing of the nose brings forth blood; so the forcing of wrath brings forth strife."