WEBVTT

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Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're

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taking this journey together to read the Bible

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in a year. Today we begin the book of 2 Kings,

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and today's readings are from 2 Kings chapters

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1 through 3. Chapter 1 Moab rebelled against

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Israel after the death of Ahab. Now Ahaziah fell

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through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria

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and was injured. So he sent messengers and said

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to them, Go inquire of Baal Zebub. the god of

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Ekron, whether I shall recover from this injury.

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But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the

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Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers

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of the king of Samaria, and say to them, Is it

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because there is no god in Israel that you are

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going to inquire of Baal Zibob, the god of Ekron?

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Now therefore, thus says the Lord, You shall

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not come down from the bed to which you have

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gone up, but you shall surely die. So Elijah

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departed. But when the messengers returned to

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him, he said to them, Why have you come back?

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So they said to him, A man came up to meet us

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and said to us, Go return to the king who sent

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you and say to him, Thus says the Lord, Is it

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because there is no God in Israel that you are

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sending to inquire of Baal -zebub, the god of

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Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from

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the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall

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surely die. Then he said to them, What kind of

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man was it who came up to meet you and told you

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these words? So they answered him, A hairy man

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wearing a leather belt around his waist. And

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he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite. Then the

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king sent to him a captain of fifty with his

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fifty men. So he went up to him, and there he

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was, sitting on the top of a hill. And he spoke

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to him, Man of God, the king has said, Come down.

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So Elijah answered and said to the captain of

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fifty, If I am a man of God, then let fire come

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down from heaven and consume you and your fifty

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men. And fire came down from heaven and consumed

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him and his fifty. Then he sent to him another

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captain of fifty with his fifty men. And he answered

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and said to him, Man of God, thus has the king

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said, Come down quickly. So Elijah answered and

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said to them, If I am a man of God, let fire

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come down from heaven and consume you and your

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fifty men. And the fire of God came down from

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heaven and consumed him and his fifty. Again

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he sent a third captain of fifty with his fifty

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men. And the third captain of fifty went up and

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came and fell on his knees before Elijah and

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pleaded with him and said to him, Man of God,

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please let my life and the life of these fifty

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servants of yours be precious in your sight.

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Look, fire has come down from heaven and burned

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up the first two captains of fifties with their

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fifties, but let my life now be precious in your

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sight. And the angel of the Lord said to Elijah,

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Go down with him, do not be afraid of him. So

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he arose and went down with him to the king.

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Then he said to him, Thus says the Lord, Because

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you have sent messengers to inquire of Beelzebub,

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the god of Ekron, is it because there is no god

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in Israel to inquire of his word? Therefore you

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shall not come down from the bed to which you

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have gone up, but you shall surely die. So Ahaziah

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died according to the word of the Lord, which

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Elijah had spoken. Because he had no son, Jehoram

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became king in his place. In the second year

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of Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.

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Now the rest of the acts of Isaiah which he did,

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are they not written in the book of the chronicles

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of the kings of Israel? Chapter 2 And it came

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to pass, when the Lord was about to take up Elijah

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into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went

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with Elisha from Gilgal. Then Elijah said to

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Elisha, Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent

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me on to Bethel. But Elisha said, As the Lord

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lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave

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you. So they went down to Bethel. Now the sons

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of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to

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Elisha and said to him, Do you know that the

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Lord will take away your master from over you

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today? And he said, Yes, I know. Keep silent.

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Then Elijah said to him, Elisha, stay here, please,

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for the Lord has sent me on to Jericho. But he

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said, As the Lord lives and as your soul lives,

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I will not leave you. So they came to Jericho.

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Now the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho

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came to Elisha and said to him, Do you know that

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the Lord will take away your master from over

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you today? So he answered, Yes, I know. Keep

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silent. Then Elijah said to him, Stay here, please,

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for the Lord has sent me on to the Jordan. But

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he said, As the Lord lives and as your soul lives,

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I will not leave you. So the two of them went

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on, and fifty men of the sons of the prophets

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went and stood facing them at a distance, while

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the two of them stood by the Jordan. Now Elijah

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took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the

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water. And it was divided this way and that,

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so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

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And so it was, when they had crossed over, that

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Elijah said to Elisha, Ask, what may I do for

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you before I am taken away from you? Elisha said,

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Please let a double portion of your spirit be

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upon me. So he said, You have asked a hard thing.

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Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from

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you, it shall be so for you. But if not, it shall

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not be so. Then it happened, as they continued

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on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire

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appeared with horses of fire and separated the

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two of them, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind

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into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried

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out, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel

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and its horsemen. So he saw him no more, and

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he took hold of his own clothes and tore them

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into two pieces. He also took up the mantle of

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Elijah that had fallen from him and went back

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and stood by the bank of the Jordan. Then he

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took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from

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him and struck the water and said, Where is the

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Lord God of Elijah? And when he also had struck

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the water, it was divided this way and that,

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and Elisha crossed over. Now when the sons of

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the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they

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said, The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha. And

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they came to meet him and bowed to the ground

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before him. Then they said to him, Look now,

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there are fifty strong men with your servants.

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Please let them go and search for your master,

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lest perhaps the Spirit of God has taken him

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up and cast him upon some mountain or into some

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valley. And he said, You shall not send anyone.

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But when they urged him till he was ashamed,

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he said, Send them. Therefore they sent fifty

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men, and they searched for three days, but did

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not find them. And when they came back to him,

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for he had stayed in Jericho, he said to them,

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Did I not say to you, Do not go? Then the men

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of the city said to Elisha, Please notice, the

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situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord

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sees, but the water is bad, and the ground barren.

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And he said, Bring me a new bowl and put salt

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in it. So they brought it to him. Then he went

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out to the source of the water and cast in the

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salt there, and said, Thus says the Lord, I have

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healed this water. From it there shall be no

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more death or barrenness. So the water remains

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healed to this day, according to the word of

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Elisha, which he spoke. Then he went up from

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there to Bethel. And as he was going up the road,

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some youth came from the city and mocked him

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and said to him, Go up, you bald head, go up,

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you bald head. So he turned around and looked

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at them and pronounced a curse on them in the

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name of the Lord. and two female bears came out

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of the woods and mauled forty -two of the youth.

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Then he went from there to Mount Carmel, and

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from there he returned to Samaria. Chapter 3

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Now Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over

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Israel at Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat

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king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. And

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he did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not

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like his father and mother, for he put away the

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sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made.

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Nevertheless, he persisted in the sins of Jeroboam,

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the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. He

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did not depart from them. Now Misha, king of

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Moab, was a sheep breeder, and he regularly paid

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the king of Israel 100 ,000 lambs and the wool

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of 100 ,000 rams. But it happened when Ahab died

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that the king of Moab rebelled against the king

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of Israel. So King Jehoram went out of Samaria

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at that time and mustered all Israel. Then he

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went and sent to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah,

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saying, The king of Moab has rebelled against

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me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?

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And he said, I will go up. I am as you are, my

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people as your people, my horses as your horses.

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Then he said, Which way shall we go up? And he

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answered, By way of the wilderness of Edom. So

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the king of Israel went with the king of Judah

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and the king of Edom, and they marched on that

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roundabout route seven days. And there was no

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water for the army, nor for the animals that

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followed them. And the king of Israel said, Alas,

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for the Lord has called these three kings together

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to deliver them into the hand of Moab. But Jehoshaphat

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said, Is there no prophet of the Lord here that

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we may inquire of the Lord by him? So one of

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the servants of the king of Israel answered and

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said, Elisha the son of Shaphat is here who poured

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water on the hands of Elijah. And Jehoshaphat

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said, The word of the Lord is with him. So the

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king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of

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Edom went down to him. Then Elisha said to the

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king of Israel, What have I to do with you? Go

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to the prophets of your father and the prophets

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of your mother. But the king of Israel said to

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him, No. For the Lord has called these three

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kings together to deliver them into the hands

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of Moab. And Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts

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lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not

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that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat, king

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of Judah, I would not look at you, nor see you.

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But now bring me a musician. Then it happened

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when the musician played, that the hand of the

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Lord came upon him. And he said, Thus says the

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Lord, Make this valley full of ditches. For thus

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says the Lord, You shall not see wind, nor shall

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you see rain, yet the valley shall be filled

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with water, so that you, your cattle, and your

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animals may drink. And this is a simple matter

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in the sight of the Lord. He will also deliver

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the Moabites into your hand. Also you shall attack

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every fortified city and every choice city. and

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shall cut down every good tree, and stop up every

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spring of water, and ruin every good piece of

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land with stones. Now it happened in the morning,

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when the grain offering was offered, that suddenly

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water came by way of Edom, and the land was filled

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with water. And when the Moabites heard that

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the kings had come up to fight against him, all

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who were able to bear arms and older were gathered,

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and they stood at the border. Then they rose

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up early in the morning, and the sun was shining

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on the water. And the Moabites saw the water

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on the other side as red as blood. And they said,

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This is blood. The kings have surely struck swords

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and have killed one another. Now therefore, Moab

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to the spoil. So when they came to the camp of

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Israel, Israel rose up and attacked the Moabites,

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so that they fled before them. And they entered

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their land. killing the Moabites. Then they destroyed

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the cities, and each man threw a stone on every

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good piece of land and filled it. And they stopped

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up all the springs of water and cut down all

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the good trees. But they left the stones of Kir

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Harasit intact. However, the slingers surrounded

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and attacked it. And when the king of Moab saw

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that the battle was too fierce for him, he took

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with him 700 men who drew swords to break through

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to the king of Edom, but they could not. Then

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he took his eldest son, who would have reigned

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in his place, and offered him as a burnt offering

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upon the wall. And there was great indignation

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against Israel. So they departed from him and

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returned to their own land. I hope you enjoyed

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today's reading as much as I did, and I look

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forward to seeing you again tomorrow to continue

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on our journey. God bless you and have a great

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day.