For though the Lord is on high, yet he regards the lowly, but he knows the proud from afar. Psalm 138:6

1 Kings 22

Ahab and the False Prophets

¹ They continued three years without war between Syria and Israel. ² In the third year, Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. ³ The king of Israel said to his servants, “You know that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us, yet we do nothing to take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?” ⁴ He said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle to Ramoth Gilead?”

Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” ⁵ Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire first for the word of the Lord.”

⁶ Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about 400 men, and said to them, “Should I go against Ramoth Gilead to battle, or should I refrain?”

They said, “Go up, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”

⁷ But Jehoshaphat said, “Isn’t there here a prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire of him?”

⁸ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.”

Jehoshaphat said, “Do not let the king say such a thing.”

⁹ Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Quickly, get Micaiah the son of Imlah.”

¹⁰ Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes in an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹¹ Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made himself horns of iron and said, “The Lord says, ‘With these you will push the Syrians, until they are consumed.’ ” ¹² All the prophets prophesied so, saying, “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”

Micaiah Prophesies against Ahab

¹³ The messenger who went to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “See now, the prophets declare good to the king with one mouth. Please let your word be like the word of one of them and speak good.”

¹⁴ Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me, that I will speak.”

¹⁵ When he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall we forbear?”

He answered him, “Go up and prosper, and the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.” ¹⁶ The king said to him, “How many times do I have to make you swear that you will speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”

¹⁷ He said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. The Lord said, ‘These have no master. Let them each return to his house in peace.’ ”

¹⁸ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but only bad?”

¹⁹ Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne and all the army of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. ²⁰ The Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ One said one thing, and another said another.

²¹ A spirit came out and stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’

²² The Lord said to him, ‘How?’
He said, ‘I will go out and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’

He said, ‘You will entice him and will also prevail. Go out and do so.’

²³ Now therefore, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets, and the Lord has spoken disaster concerning you.”

²⁴ Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?”

²⁵ Micaiah said, “Hear this, you will see on that day, when you go into an inner room to hide yourself.”

²⁶ The king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son. ²⁷ Say, ‘The king says: Put this man in prison and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.’ ”

²⁸ Micaiah said, “If you return at all in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” He said, “Listen, all you people!”

Ahab Killed at Ramoth Gilead

²⁹ So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. ³⁰ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your robes.” The king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle.

³¹ Now the king of Syria had commanded the 32 captains of his chariots, saying, “Don’t fight with small nor great, except only with the king of Israel.”

³² When the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely that is the king of Israel!” and they came over to fight against him. Jehoshaphat cried out. ³³ When the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. ³⁴ A certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the joints of the armor. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn your hand and carry me out of the battle, for I am severely wounded.” ³⁵ The battle increased that day. The king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians and died at evening. The blood ran out of the wound into the bottom of the chariot. ³⁶ At about sunset, a cry went throughout the army, saying, “Every man to his city and every man to his country!”

³⁷ So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria. ³⁸ They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood where the prostitutes washed themselves, according to the word of the Lord which he spoke.

³⁹ Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did and the ivory house which he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ⁴⁰ So Ahab rested with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.

⁴¹ Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. ⁴² Jehoshaphat was 35 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 25 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

⁴³ He walked in all the ways of Asa his father and did not turn away from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the Lord. However the high places were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. ⁴⁴ Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel. ⁴⁵ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat and his might that he showed and how he fought, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

⁴⁶ He cleared from the land, the remnant of the sodomites, that remained in the days of his father Asa. ⁴⁷ There was no king in Edom. A deputy ruled. ⁴⁸ Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go, for the ships wrecked at Ezion Geber. ⁴⁹ Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships,” but Jehoshaphat refused. ⁵⁰ Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, his father. Jehoram his son reigned in his place.

Ahaziah’s Evil Reign in Israel

⁵¹ Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel. ⁵² He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, in which he caused Israel to sin. ⁵³ He served Baal and worshiped him and provoked the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger in all the ways that his father had done.

Acts 13:13-41

In Pisidian Antioch

¹³ Now Paul and his company set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John departed from them and returned to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ But passing on from Perga, they came to Antioch of Pisidia. They went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. ¹⁵ After the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, speak.”

¹⁶ Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen. ¹⁷ The God of this people chose our fathers and exalted the people when they stayed as aliens in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm, he led them out of it. ¹⁸ For a period of about 40 years he put up with them in the wilderness. ¹⁹ When he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance for about 450 years.

²⁰ After these things, he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. ²¹ Afterward they asked for a king, and God gave to them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for 40 years.

²² When he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, to whom he also testified, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’

²³ From this man’s offspring, God has brought salvation to Israel according to his promise, ²⁴ before his coming, when John had first preached the baptism of repentance to Israel. ²⁵ As John was fulfilling his mission, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he, but one comes after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’

²⁶ Brothers, children of the stock of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, the word of this salvation is sent out to you. ²⁷ For those who dwell in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not know him, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. ²⁸ Though they found no cause for death, they still asked Pilate to have him killed.

²⁹ When they had fulfilled all the things that were written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. ³⁰ But God raised him from the dead, ³¹ and he was seen for many days by those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses to the people. ³² We bring you good news of the promise made to the fathers, ³³ that God has fulfilled this to us, their children, in that he raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm,

‘You are my Son.
Today I have become your father.’ ^a

³⁴ “Concerning the fact that he raised him up from the dead, no more to return to corruption, this is what He has said:

‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ ^b

³⁵ Therefore he says also in another Psalm,

‘You will not allow your Holy One to see decay.’ ^c

³⁶ For David, after he had served God’s purpose, in his own generation, he fell asleep, was laid with his fathers, and saw decay. ³⁷ But he whom God raised up saw no decay. ³⁸ Be it known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man is proclaimed to you remission of sins, ³⁹ and by him everyone who believes is justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Beware therefore, lest that come on you which is spoken in the prophets:

⁴¹ ‘Look, you scoffers, wonder, and perish,
for I am doing a work in your days,
a work which you would never believe,
even if someone declared it to you.’ ” ^d

^{a Psalm 2:7
b Isaiah 55:3
c Psalm 16:10
d Habakkuk 1:5}

Psalm 138

I will Give Thanks with my Whole Heart

By David.

¹ I will give you thanks with my whole heart.
Before the gods, I will sing praises to you.
² I will bow down toward your holy temple,
and give thanks to your Name for your loving kindness and for your truth,
for you have exalted your Name and your Word above all.
³ In the day that I called, you answered me.
You encouraged me with strength in my soul.
⁴ All the kings of the earth will give you thanks, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth.
⁵ Yes, they will sing of the ways of the Lord,
for the glory of the Lord is great!

⁶ For though the Lord is on high,
yet he regards the lowly,
but he knows the proud from afar.
⁷ Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you will revive me.
You will stretch out your hand
against the wrath of my enemies.
Your right hand will save me.
⁸ The Lord will fulfill that which concerns me.
Your loving kindness, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the works of your own hands.

Proverbs 17:17-18

¹⁷ A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
¹⁸ A man void of understanding strikes hands,
and becomes collateral in the presence of his neighbor.

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