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Bible Study Plan:     Bible Version     Starting Date

  1 Kings 19-20


19:1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.
19:2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them."
19:3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,
19:4 while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."
19:5 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat."
19:6 He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
19:7 The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you."
19:8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
19:9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him
19:10 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
19:11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
19:12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
19:13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
19:14 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
19:15 The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram.
19:16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet.
19:17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.
19:18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel-- all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him."
19:19 So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him.
19:20 Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. "Let me kiss my father and mother good-by," he said, "and then I will come with you." "Go back," Elijah replied. "What have I done to you?"
19:21 So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant.
20:1 Now Ben-Hadad king of Aram mustered his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots, he went up and besieged Samaria and attacked it.
20:2 He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, saying, "This is what Ben-Hadad says
20:3 "Your silver and gold are mine, and the best of your wives and children are mine.""
20:4 The king of Israel answered, "Just as you say, my lord the king. I and all I have are yours."
20:5 The messengers came again and said, "This is what Ben-Hadad says
20:6 But about this time tomorrow I am going to send my officials to search your palace and the houses of your officials. They will seize everything you value and carry it away.""
20:7 The king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land and said to them, "See how this man is looking for trouble! When he sent for my wives and my children, my silver and my gold, I did not refuse him."
20:8 The elders and the people all answered, "Don"t listen to him or agree to his demands."
20:9 So he replied to Ben-Hadad's messengers, "Tell my lord the king, "Your servant will do all you demanded the first time, but this demand I cannot meet."" They left and took the answer back to Ben-Hadad.
20:10 Then Ben-Hadad sent another message to Ahab
20:11 The king of Israel answered, "Tell him
20:12 Ben-Hadad heard this message while he and the kings were drinking in their tents, and he ordered his men
20:13 Meanwhile a prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and announced, "This is what the LORD says
20:14 "But who will do this?" asked Ahab. The prophet replied, "This is what the LORD says
20:15 So Ahab summoned the young officers of the provincial commanders, 232 men. Then he assembled the rest of the Israelites, 7,000 in all.
20:16 They set out at noon while Ben-Hadad and the 32 kings allied with him were in their tents getting drunk.
20:17 The young officers of the provincial commanders went out first. Now Ben-Hadad had dispatched scouts, who reported, "Men are advancing from Samaria."
20:18 He said, "If they have come out for peace, take them alive; if they have come out for war, take them alive."
20:19 The young officers of the provincial commanders marched out of the city with the army behind them
20:20 and each one struck down his opponent. At that, the Arameans fled, with the Israelites in pursuit. But Ben-Hadad king of Aram escaped on horseback with some of his horsemen.
20:21 The king of Israel advanced and overpowered the horses and chariots and inflicted heavy losses on the Arameans.
20:22 Afterward, the prophet came to the king of Israel and said, "Strengthen your position and see what must be done, because next spring the king of Aram will attack you again."
20:23 Meanwhile, the officials of the king of Aram advised him, "Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they were too strong for us. But if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than they.
20:24 Do this
20:25 You must also raise an army like the one you lost-- horse for horse and chariot for chariot-- so we can fight Israel on the plains. Then surely we will be stronger than they." He agreed with them and acted accordingly.
20:26 The next spring Ben-Hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.
20:27 When the Israelites were also mustered and given provisions, they marched out to meet them. The Israelites camped opposite them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.
20:28 The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, "This is what the LORD says
20:29 For seven days they camped opposite each other, and on the seventh day the battle was joined. The Israelites inflicted a hundred thousand casualties on the Aramean foot soldiers in one day.
20:30 The rest of them escaped to the city of Aphek, where the wall collapsed on twenty-seven thousand of them. And Ben-Hadad fled to the city and hid in an inner room.
20:31 His officials said to him, "Look, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful. Let us go to the king of Israel with sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads. Perhaps he will spare your life."
20:32 Wearing sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, they went to the king of Israel and said, "Your servant Ben-Hadad says
20:33 The men took this as a good sign and were quick to pick up his word. "Yes, your brother Ben-Hadad!" they said. "Go and get him," the king said. When Ben-Hadad came out, Ahab had him come up into his chariot.
20:34 "I will return the cities my father took from your father," Ben-Hadad offered. "You may set up your own market areas in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria." [Ahab said,] "On the basis of a treaty I will set you free." So he made a treaty with him, and let him go.
20:35 By the word of the LORD one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, "Strike me with your weapon," but the man refused.
20:36 So the prophet said, "Because you have not obeyed the LORD, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you." And after the man went away, a lion found him and killed him.
20:37 The prophet found another man and said, "Strike me, please." So the man struck him and wounded him.
20:38 Then the prophet went and stood by the road waiting for the king. He disguised himself with his headband down over his eyes.
20:39 As the king passed by, the prophet called out to him, "Your servant went into the thick of the battle, and someone came to me with a captive and said, "Guard this man. If he is missing, it will be your life for his life, or you must pay a talent of silver."
20:40 While your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared." "That is your sentence," the king of Israel said. "You have pronounced it yourself."
20:41 Then the prophet quickly removed the headband from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.
20:42 He said to the king, "This is what the LORD says
20:43 Sullen and angry, the king of Israel went to his palace in Samaria.

  Luke 23


23:1 Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate.
23:2 And they began to accuse him, saying, "We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king."
23:3 So Pilate asked Jesus, "Are you the king of the Jews?" "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.
23:4 Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no basis for a charge against this man."
23:5 But they insisted, "He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here."
23:6 On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean.
23:7 When he learned that Jesus was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.
23:8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle.
23:9 He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer.
23:10 The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him.
23:11 Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate.
23:12 That day Herod and Pilate became friends-- before this they had been enemies.
23:13 Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people,
23:14 and said to them, "You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him.
23:15 Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death.
23:16 Therefore, I will punish him and then release him."
23:18 With one voice they cried out, "Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!"
23:19 (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)
23:20 Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again.
23:21 But they kept shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!"
23:22 For the third time he spoke to them
23:23 But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed.
23:24 So Pilate decided to grant their demand.
23:25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.
23:26 As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.
23:27 A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.
23:28 Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.
23:29 For the time will come when you will say, "Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!"
23:30 Then ""they will say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!""
23:31 For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?"
23:32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.
23:33 When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals-- one on his right, the other on his left.
23:34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
23:35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."
23:36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar
23:37 and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself."
23:38 There was a written notice above him, which read
23:39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him
23:40 But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don"t you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence?
23:41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."
23:42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
23:43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
23:44 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour,
23:45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.
23:46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.
23:47 The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, "Surely this was a righteous man."
23:48 When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away.
23:49 But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
23:50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man,
23:51 who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God.
23:52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus" body.
23:53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid.
23:54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.
23:55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it.
23:56 Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.