The Berean Pursuit
Then Elisha said, "Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the LORD says: 'About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, a seah of fine flour will sell for a shekel, and two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel.'"
But the officer on whose arm the king leaned answered the man of God, "Look, even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?"
"You will see it with your own eyes," replied Elisha, "but you will not eat any of it."
Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate, and they said to one another, "Why just sit here until we die? If we say, 'Let us go into the city,' we will die there from the famine in the city; but if we sit here, we will also die. So come now, let us go over to the camp of the Arameans. If they let us live, we will live; if they kill us, we will die."
So they arose at twilight and went to the camp of the Arameans. But when they came to the outskirts of the camp, there was not a man to be found. For the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a great army, so that they said to one another, "Look, the king of Israel must have hired the kings of the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us."
Thus the Arameans had arisen and fled at twilight, abandoning their tents and horses and donkeys. The camp was intact, and they had run for their lives.
When the lepers reached the edge of the camp, they went into a tent to eat and drink. Then they carried off the silver, gold, and clothing, and went and hid them. On returning, they entered another tent, carried off some items from there, and hid them.
Finally, they said to one another, "We are not doing what is right. Today is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until morning light, our sin will overtake us. Now, therefore, let us go and tell the king's household."
So they went and called out to the gatekeepers of the city, saying, "We went to the Aramean camp and no one was there-not a trace-only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents were intact."
The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported to the king's household.
So the king got up in the night and said to his servants, "Let me tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving, so they have left the camp to hide in the field, thinking, 'When they come out of the city, we will take them alive and enter the city.'"
But one of his servants replied, "Please, have scouts take five of the horses that remain in the city. Their plight will be no worse than all the Israelites who are left here. You can see that all the Israelites here are doomed. So let us send them and find out."
Then the scouts took two chariots with horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army, saying, "Go and see." And they tracked them as far as the Jordan, and indeed, the whole way was littered with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown off in haste. So the scouts returned and told the king.
Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. It was then that a seah of fine flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.
Now the king had appointed the officer on whose arm he leaned to be in charge of the gate, but the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king had come to him. It happened just as the man of God had told the king: "About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour will sell for a shekel."
And the officer had answered the man of God, "Look, even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?"
So Elisha had replied, "You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!"
And that is just what happened to him. The people trampled him in the gateway, and he died.
Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, "Arise, you and your household; go and live as a foreigner wherever you can. For the LORD has decreed a seven-year famine, and it has already come to the land."
So the woman had proceeded to do as the man of God had instructed. And she and her household lived as foreigners for seven years in the land of the Philistines.
At the end of seven years, when the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, she went to the king to appeal for her house and her land.
Now the king had been speaking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, "Please relate to me all the great things Elisha has done."
And Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had brought the dead back to life. Just then the woman whose son Elisha had revived came to appeal to the king for her house and her land. So Gehazi said, "My lord the king, this is the woman, and this is the son Elisha restored to life."
When the king asked the woman, she confirmed it. So the king appointed for her an officer, saying, "Restore all that was hers, along with all the proceeds of the field from the day that she left the country until now."
Then Elisha came to Damascus while Ben-hadad king of Aram was sick, and the king was told, "The man of God has come here."
So the king said to Hazael, "Take a gift in your hand, go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD through him, 'Will I recover from this illness?'"
So Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him a gift of forty camel loads of every good thing from Damascus. And he went in and stood before him and said, "Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to ask, 'Will I recover from this illness?'"
Elisha answered, "Go and tell him, 'You will surely recover.' But the LORD has shown me that in fact he will die."
Elisha fixed his gaze steadily on him until Hazael became uncomfortable. Then the man of God began to weep.
"Why is my lord weeping?" asked Hazael.
"Because I know the evil you will do to the Israelites," Elisha replied. "You will set fire to their fortresses, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little ones to pieces, and rip open their pregnant women."
"But how could your servant, a mere dog, do such a monstrous thing?" said Hazael.
And Elisha answered, "The LORD has shown me that you will be king over Aram."
So Hazael left Elisha and went to his master, who asked him, "What did Elisha say to you?"
And he replied, "He told me that you would surely recover." But the next day Hazael took a thick cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it over the king's face.
So Ben-hadad died, and Hazael reigned in his place.
In the fifth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab over Israel, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat succeeded his father as king of Judah. Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.
And Jehoram walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done. For he married a daughter of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD.
Yet for the sake of His servant David, the LORD was unwilling to destroy Judah, since He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.
In the days of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against the hand of Judah and appointed their own king. So Jehoram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. When the Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, he rose up and attacked by night. His troops, however, fled to their homes.
So to this day Edom has been in rebellion against the hand of Judah. Likewise, Libnah rebelled at the same time.
As for the rest of the acts of Jehoram, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
And Jehoram rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David. And his son Ahaziah reigned in his place.
In the twelfth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab over Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah. Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother's name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri king of Israel.
And Ahaziah walked in the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab, for he was a son-in-law of the house of Ahab.
Then Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to fight against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead, and the Arameans wounded Joram. So King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. Then Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son of Ahab, because Joram had been wounded.
And Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David. And his son Jehoram reigned in his place.
Jehoram's brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat, were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; these were all sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. Their father had given them many gifts of silver and gold and precious things, as well as the fortified cities in Judah; but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.
When Jehoram had established himself over his father's kingdom, he strengthened himself by putting to the sword all his brothers along with some of the princes of Israel. Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.
And Jehoram walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done. For he married a daughter of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD. Yet the LORD was unwilling to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant He had made with David, and since He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.
In the days of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against the hand of Judah and appointed their own king. So Jehoram crossed into Edom with his officers and all his chariots. When the Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, he rose up and attacked by night.
So to this day Edom has been in rebellion against the hand of Judah. Likewise, Libnah rebelled against his rule at the same time, because Jehoram had forsaken the LORD, the God of his fathers.
Jehoram had also built high places on the hills of Judah; he had caused the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves and had led Judah astray.
Then a letter came to Jehoram from Elijah the prophet, which stated:
"This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says:
'You have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or of Asa king of Judah, but you have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and have caused Judah and the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves, just as the house of Ahab prostituted itself. You have also killed your brothers, your father's family, who were better than you.
So behold, the LORD is about to strike your people, your sons, your wives, and all your possessions with a serious blow. And day after day you yourself will suffer from a severe illness, a disease of your bowels, until it causes your bowels to come out.'"
Then the LORD stirred against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and Arabs who lived near the Cushites. So they went to war against Judah, invaded it, and carried off all the possessions found in the king's palace, along with his sons and wives; not a son was left to him except Jehoahaz, his youngest.
After all this, the LORD afflicted Jehoram with an incurable disease of the bowels. This continued day after day until two full years had passed. Finally, his intestines came out because of his disease, and he died in severe pain. And his people did not make a fire in his honor as they had done for his fathers.
Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He died, to no one's regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
"Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
So then, this is how you should pray:
'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.'
For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.
When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns-and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.