Study Desk

Then he said to him, "Because you have not listened to the voice of the Lord, as soon as you have left me, a lion will kill you." And as soon as he had left him, a lion found him and killed him.

Ahab said to Naboth, "Give me your grape-field. I want it for a vegetable garden because it is near my house. I will give you a better field for it. Or I will pay for it with money, if you like."

Ahab went into his house sad and angry because of Naboth the Jezreelite saying to him, "I will not give you what I have received from my fathers." And Ahab lay down on his bed and turned his face away and would not eat.

He said to her, "Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite. I said to him, ‘Give me your grape-field for money. Or I will give you another field for it, if you like.' But he said, ‘I will not give you my grape-field.'"

Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, O you who hate me?" Elijah answered, "I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do what is sinful in the eyes of the Lord.

I will make your house like the family of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the family of Baasha the son of Ahijah. Because you have made Me angry, and have made Israel sin.

"Do you see how Ahab has got rid of his pride before Me? Because he has gotten rid of his pride, I will not bring trouble to him while he is alive. But I will bring trouble upon his house in his son's days."

But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, "Get up and go meet the men sent from the king of Samaria. Say to them, ‘Are you going to ask Baal-zebub the god of Ekron because there is no God in Israel?'

They said, "A man came up to meet us. He said to us, ‘Go and return to the king who sent you. Tell him, "This is what the Lord says. ‘Are you asking Baal-zebub the god of Ekron because there is no God in Israel? So you will not leave the bed on which you lie. You will die for sure.'"'"

Then Elijah said to Ahaziah, "This is what the Lord says. ‘You have sent men to ask of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron. Is it because there is no God in Israel to ask of His Word? So now you will not leave the bed on which you lie. You will die for sure.'"

So Ahaziah died, just as the word of the Lord had said through Elijah. Because Ahaziah had no son, Jehoram his brother became king in his place, in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.

Naaman the captain of the army of the king of Syria was an important man to his king. He was much respected, because by him the Lord had made Syria win in battle. Naaman was a strong man of war, but he had a bad skin disease.

The heart of the king of Syria was angry because of this. He called his servants and said to them, "Will you show me which one of us is helping the king of Israel?"

Hazael said, "Why are you crying, my lord?" Then Elisha answered, "Because I know the bad things that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set their strong places on fire. You will kill their young men with the sword. You will crush their little ones against the stones. And you will cut up their women who are with child."

But the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah, because of His servant David. The Lord had promised to give David one to rule through his sons always.

He walked in the way of the family of Ahab. He did what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord, like those of the family of Ahab had done, because he was a son-in-law of the family of Ahab.

So King Joram returned to Jezreel to be healed of the cuts the Syrians had given him at Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. Then Jehoram's son Ahaziah king of Judah went down to Jezreel to see Joram the son of Ahab because he was sick.

Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all his days, because Jehoiada the religious leader taught him.

Then Joash said to the religious leaders, "All the money of the holy things brought into the house of the Lord, money for which each man is taxed, and money that is brought in because a man wants in his heart to bring it into the house of the Lord,

But the Lord showed them kindness and loving-pity and turned to them because of His agreement with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He would not destroy them or put them away from Him until now.