Bible Readings for June 18, 2013

Today our passages are 1 Kings 19:1-21; Acts 12:1-23; Psalm 136:1-26; and Proverbs 17:14-15. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.

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1 Kings 19:1-21 (Contemporary English Version)

1 Kings 19

Elijah Runs Away from Ahab and Jezebel

 ¹Ahab told his wife Jezebel what Elijah had done and that he had killed the prophets. ²She sent a message to Elijah: "You killed my prophets. Now I'm going to kill you! I pray that the gods will punish me even more severely if I don't do it by this time tomorrow."     ³Elijah was afraid when he got her message, and he ran to the town of Beersheba in Judah. He left his servant there, ⁴then walked another whole day into the desert. Finally, he came to a large bush and sat down in its shade. He begged the LORD, "I've had enough. Just let me die! I'm no better off than my ancestors." ⁵Then he lay down in the shade and fell asleep.
   Suddenly an angel woke him up and said, "Get up and eat." ⁶Elijah looked around, and by his head was a jar of water and some baked bread. He sat up, ate and drank, then lay down and went back to sleep.
    ⁷Soon the LORD's angel woke him again and said, "Get up and eat, or else you'll get too tired to travel." ⁸So Elijah sat up and ate and drank.
   The food and water made him strong enough to walk forty more days. At last, he reached Mount Sinai, ^[a] the mountain of God, ⁹and he spent the night there in a cave. While Elijah was on Mount Sinai, the LORD asked, "Elijah, why are you here?"
   

The LORD Appears to Elijah

 ¹⁰He answered, "LORD God All-Powerful, I've always done my best to obey you. But your people have broken their solemn promise to you. They have torn down your altars and killed all your prophets, except me. And now they are even trying to kill me!"     ¹¹"Go out and stand on the mountain," the LORD replied. "I want you to see me when I pass by."
   All at once, a strong wind shook the mountain and shattered the rocks. But the LORD was not in the wind. Next, there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. ¹²Then there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire.
   Finally, there was a gentle breeze, ^{[b] 13}and when Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his coat. He went out and stood at the entrance to the cave. The LORD ^[c] asked, "Elijah, why are you here?" ¹⁴Elijah answered, "LORD God All-Powerful, I've always done my best to obey you. But your people have broken their solemn promise to you. They have torn down your altars and killed all your prophets, except me. And now they are even trying to kill me!"
    ¹⁵The LORD said:
   Elijah, you can go back to the desert near Damascus. And when you get there, appoint ^[d] Hazael to be king of Syria. ¹⁶Then appoint Jehu son of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and Elisha son of Shaphat ^[e] to take your place as my prophet. ¹⁷Hazael will start killing the people who worship Baal. Jehu will kill those who escape from Hazael, and Elisha will kill those who escape from Jehu.
    ¹⁸But seven thousand Israelites have refused to worship Baal, and they will live.
   

Elisha Becomes Elijah's Assistant

 ¹⁹Elijah left and found Elisha plowing a field with a pair of oxen. There were eleven other men in front of him, and each one was also plowing with a pair of oxen. Elijah went over and put his own coat on Elisha. ^{[f] 20}Elisha stopped plowing and ran after him. "Let me kiss my parents good-by, then I'll go with you," he said.    "You can go," Elijah said. "But remember what I've done for you."
    ²¹Elisha left and took his oxen with him. He killed them and boiled them over a fire he had made with the wood from his plow. He gave the meat to the people who were with him, and they ate it. Then he left with Elijah and became his assistant.
   

Footnotes:

1. 1 Kings 19:8 Sinai: Hebrew "Horeb."
2. 1 Kings 19:12 a gentle breeze: Or "a soft whisper" or "hardly a sound."
3. 1 Kings 19:13 The LORD: Hebrew "A voice."
4. 1 Kings 19:15 appoint: This would have included a ceremony in which olive oil would be poured on his head to show that he was now king.
5. 1 Kings 19:16 Shaphat: Hebrew "Shaphat from Abel-Meholah."
6. 1 Kings 19:19 put. . . Elisha: This was a sign that Elijah wanted Elisha to follow him and become a prophet.

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Acts 12:1-23 (Contemporary English Version)

Acts 12

Herod Causes Trouble for the Church

 ¹At that time King Herod ^[a] caused terrible suffering for some members of the church. ²He ordered soldiers to cut off the head of James, the brother of John. ³When Herod saw that this pleased the Jewish people, he had Peter arrested during the Festival of Thin Bread. ⁴He put Peter in jail and ordered four squads of soldiers to guard him. Herod planned to put him on trial in public after the festival. ⁵While Peter was being kept in jail, the church never stopped praying to God for him.    

Peter Is Rescued

 ⁶The night before Peter was to be put on trial, he was asleep and bound by two chains. A soldier was guarding him on each side, and two other soldiers were guarding the entrance to the jail. ⁷Suddenly an angel from the Lord appeared, and light flashed around in the cell. The angel poked Peter in the side and woke him up. Then he said, "Quick! Get up!"    The chains fell off his hands, ⁸and the angel said, "Get dressed and put on your sandals." Peter did what he was told. Then the angel said, "Now put on your coat and follow me." ⁹Peter left with the angel, but he thought everything was only a dream. ¹⁰They went past the two groups of soldiers, and when they came to the iron gate to the city, it opened by itself. They went out and were going along the street, when all at once the angel disappeared.
    ¹¹Peter now realized what had happened, and he said, "I am certain that the Lord sent his angel to rescue me from Herod and from everything the Jewish leaders planned to do to me." ¹²Then Peter went to the house of Mary the mother of John whose other name was Mark. Many of the Lord's followers had come together there and were praying.
    ¹³Peter knocked on the gate, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer. ¹⁴When she heard Peter's voice, she was too excited to open the gate. She ran back into the house and said that Peter was standing there.
    ¹⁵"You are crazy!" everyone told her. But she kept saying that it was Peter. Then they said, "It must be his angel." ^{[b] 16}But Peter kept on knocking, until finally they opened the gate. They saw him and were completely amazed. ¹⁷Peter motioned for them to keep quiet. Then he told how the Lord had led him out of jail. He also said, "Tell James ^[c] and the others what has happened." After that, he left and went somewhere else. ¹⁸The next morning the soldiers who had been on guard were terribly worried and wondered what had happened to Peter. ¹⁹Herod ordered his own soldiers to search for him, but they could not find him. Then he questioned the guards and had them put to death. After this, Herod left Judea to stay in Caesarea for a while.
   

Herod Dies

 ²⁰Herod and the people of Tyre and Sidon were very angry with each other. But their country got its food supply from the region that he ruled. So a group of them went to see Blastus, who was one of Herod's high officials. They convinced Blastus that they wanted to make peace between their cities and Herod, ²¹and a day was set for them to meet with him.    Herod came dressed in his royal robes. He sat down on his throne and made a speech. ²²The people shouted, "You speak more like a god than a man!" ²³At once an angel from the Lord struck him down because he took the honor that belonged to God. Later, Herod was eaten by worms and died.
   

Footnotes:

1. Acts 12:1 Herod: Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great.
2. Acts 12:15 his angel: Probably meaning "his guardian angel."
3. Acts 12:17 James: The brother of the Lord.

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Psalm 136:1-26 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 136

God's Love Never Fails

 ¹Praise the LORD! He is good.    God's love never fails.
    ²Praise the God of all gods.
   God's love never fails.
    ³Praise the Lord of lords.
   God's love never fails.
    ⁴Only God works great miracles. ^[a] God's love never fails.
    ⁵With wisdom he made the sky.
   God's love never fails.
    ⁶The Lord stretched the earth
   over the ocean.
   God's love never fails.
    ⁷He made the bright lights
   in the sky.
   God's love never fails.
    ⁸He lets the sun rule each day.
   God's love never fails.
    ⁹He lets the moon and the stars
   rule each night.
   God's love never fails.
    ¹⁰God struck down the first-born
   in every Egyptian family.
   God's love never fails.
    ¹¹He rescued Israel from Egypt.
   God's love never fails.
    ¹²God used his great strength
   and his powerful arm.
   God's love never fails.
    ¹³He split the Red Sea ^[b] apart. God's love never fails.
    ¹⁴The Lord brought Israel safely
   through the sea.
   God's love never fails.
    ¹⁵He destroyed the Egyptian king
   and his army there.
   God's love never fails.
    ¹⁶The Lord led his people
   through the desert.
   God's love never fails.
    ¹⁷Our God defeated mighty kings.
   God's love never fails.
    ¹⁸And he killed famous kings.
   God's love never fails.
    ¹⁹One of them was Sihon,
   king of the Amorites.
   God's love never fails.
    ²⁰Another was King Og of Bashan.
   God's love never fails.
    ²¹God took away their land.
   God's love never fails.
    ²²He gave their land to Israel,
   the people who serve him.
   God's love never fails.
    ²³God saw the trouble we were in.
   God's love never fails.
    ²⁴He rescued us from our enemies.
   God's love never fails.
    ²⁵He gives food to all who live.
   God's love never fails.
    ²⁶Praise God in heaven!
   God's love never fails.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 136:4 great miracles: One Hebrew manuscript and one ancient translation have " miracles."
2. Psalm 136:13 Red Sea: See the note at 106.7.

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Proverbs 17:14-15 (Contemporary English Version)

¹⁴The start of an argument
   is like a water leak--
   so stop it before
   real trouble breaks out.
    ¹⁵The LORD doesn't like those
   who defend the guilty
   or condemn the innocent.

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Verse of the Day

“Parents, don't be hard on your children. Raise them properly. Teach them and instruct them about the Lord.” - Ephesians 6:4

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

French poet Arthur Rimbaud wrote, “Only divine love bestows the keys of knowledge.”