Psalms  119:130  

The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

Ramnath Gunupudi

NIV 
Judging Others 
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 
38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” 
39 He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? 
40 The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher. 
41 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 
42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. 
 
ERV 
Be Careful About Criticizing Others 
37 “Don’t judge others, and God will not judge you. Don’t condemn others, and you will not be condemned. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 
38 Give to others, and you will receive. You will be given much. It will be poured into your hands—more than you can hold. You will be given so much that it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you.” 
39 Jesus told them this story: “Can a blind man lead another blind man? No. Both of them will fall into a ditch. 
40 Students are not better than their teacher. But when they have been fully taught, they will be like their teacher. 
41 “Why do you notice the small piece of dust that is in your friend’s eye, but you don’t see the big piece of wood that is in your own eye? 
42 You say to your friend, ‘Let me get that little piece of dust out of your eye.’ Why do you say this? Can’t you see that big piece of wood in your own eye? You are a hypocrite. First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to get the dust out of your friend’s eye.

NIV Judging Others 37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and ...

Judging Others - Luke 6:37-42

ERV 
Jehu Calls the Worshipers of Baal 
18 Then Jehu gathered all the people together and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve Baal much. 
19 Now call together all the priests and prophets of Baal. And call together everyone who worships Baal. Don’t let anyone miss this meeting. I have a great sacrifice to give to Baal. I will kill anyone who does not come to this meeting.” 
But Jehu was tricking them. He wanted to destroy the worshipers of Baal. 
20 Jehu said, “Prepare a holy meeting for Baal.” So the priests announced the meeting. 
21 Then Jehu sent a message through all the land of Israel. All the worshipers of Baal came. Not one stayed home. The Baal worshipers came into the temple of Baal. The temple was filled with people. 
22 Jehu said to the man who kept the robes, “Bring out the robes for all the worshipers of Baal.” So that man brought out the robes for the Baal worshipers. 
23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Recab went into the temple of Baal. Jehu said to the worshipers of Baal, “Look around and be sure that there are no servants of the Lord with you. Be sure there are only people who worship Baal.” 
24 The worshipers of Baal went into the temple of Baal to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. 
But outside, Jehu had 80 men waiting. He told them, “Don’t let anyone escape. If any man lets one person escape, that man must pay with his own life.” 
25 Quickly after Jehu had finished offering the burnt offering, he said to the guards and to the captains, “Go in and kill the worshipers of Baal! Don’t let anyone come out of the temple alive!” 
So the captains used thin swords and killed the worshipers of Baal. They threw the bodies of the worshipers of Baal out. Then the guards and the captains went to the inner room[a] of the temple of Baal. 
26 They brought out the memorial stones that were in the temple of Baal and burned that temple. 27 Then they smashed the memorial stones of Baal. They also smashed the temple of Baal. They made the temple of Baal into a public toilet, which is still used today. 
28 So Jehu destroyed Baal worship in Israel, 
29 but he did not completely turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat that caused Israel to sin. Jehu did not destroy the golden calves in Bethel and in Dan. 
Jehu’s Rule Over Israel 
30 The Lord said to Jehu, “You have done well. You have done what I say is good. You destroyed Ahab’s family the way I wanted you to, so your descendants will rule Israel for four generations.” 
31 But Jehu was not careful to follow the law of the Lord with all his heart. Jehu did not stop committing the sins of Jeroboam that caused Israel to sin. 
Hazael Defeats Israel 
32 At that time the Lord began to cut away sections of Israel and give them to other nations. King Hazael of Aram defeated the Israelites on every border of Israel. 
33 He won the land east of the Jordan River—all the land of Gilead, including the land that belonged to the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh. He won all the land from Aroer by the Arnon Valley to Gilead and Bashan. 
The Death of Jehu 
34 All the other great things that Jehu did are written in the book, The History of the Kings of Israel. 35 Jehu died and was buried with his ancestors. The people buried him in Samaria. His son Jehoahaz became the new king of Israel after him. 
36 Jehu ruled over Israel in Samaria for 28 years.

ERV Jehu Calls the Worshipers of Baal 18 Then Jehu gathered all the people together and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little ...

2 Kings 10:18-36 - Jehu Calls the Worshipers of Baal

ERV 
Jesus Uses a Story About Farm Workers 
1 God’s kingdom is like a man who owned some land. One morning, the man went out very early to hire some people to work in his vineyard. 
2 He agreed to pay the workers one silver coin for working that day. Then he sent them into the vineyard to work. 
3 “About nine o’clock the man went to the marketplace and saw some other people standing there. They were doing nothing. 
4 So he said to them, ‘If you go and work in my field, I will pay you what your work is worth.’ 
5 So they went to work in the vineyard. 
“The man went out again about twelve o’clock and again at three o’clock. Both times he hired some others to work in his vineyard. 
6 About five o’clock the man went to the marketplace again. He saw some other people standing there. He asked them, ‘Why did you stand here all day doing nothing?’ 
7 “They said, ‘No one gave us a job.’ 
“The man said to them, ‘Then you can go and work in my vineyard.’ 
8 “At the end of the day, the owner of the field said to the boss of all the workers, ‘Call the workers and pay them all. Start by paying the last people I hired. Then pay all of them, ending with the ones I hired first.’ 
9 “The workers who were hired at five o’clock came to get their pay. Each worker got one silver coin. 10 Then the workers who were hired first came to get their pay. They thought they would be paid more than the others. But each one of them also received one silver coin. 
11 When they got their silver coin, they complained to the man who owned the land. 
12 They said, ‘Those people were hired last and worked only one hour. But you paid them the same as us. And we worked hard all day in the hot sun.’ 
13 “But the man who owned the field said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am being fair with you. You agreed to work for one silver coin. Right? 
14 So take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same pay I gave you. 
15 I can do what I want with my own money. Why would you be jealous because I am generous?’ 
16 “So those who are last now will be first in the future. And those who are first now will be last in the future.” 
 
NIV 
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard 
1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 
2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 
3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 
 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 
5 So they went. 
“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 
 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ 
7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. 
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’ 
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ 
9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 
10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 
11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 
12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’ 
13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 
14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 
15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 
16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

ERV
Jesus Uses a Story About Farm Workers
1 God’s kingdom is like a man who owned some land. One morning, the man went out very early to hire some people to work in his vineyard. 
2 He agreed to pay the workers one silver coin for working that day. Then he sent them into the vineyard to work.
3 “About nine o’clock the man went to the marketplace and saw some other people standing there. They were doing nothing. 
4 So he said to them, ‘If you go and work in my field, I will pay you what your work is worth.’ 
5 So they went to work in the vineyard.
“The man went out again about twelve o’clock and again at three o’clock. Both times he hired some others to work in his vineyard. 
6 About five o’clock the man went to the marketplace again. He saw some other people standing there. He asked them, ‘Why did you stand here all day doing nothing?’
7 “They said, ‘No one gave us a job.’
“The man said to them, ‘Then you can go and work in my vineyard.’
8 “At the end of the day, the owner of the field

Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard - Matthew 20:1-16

1 Now there were in Samaria seventy sons of the house of Ahab. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria: to the officials of Jezreel,[a] to the elders and to the guardians of Ahab’s children. He said, 
2 “You have your master’s sons with you and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city and weapons. Now as soon as this letter reaches you, 
3 choose the best and most worthy of your master’s sons and set him on his father’s throne. Then fight for your master’s house.” 
4 But they were terrified and said, “If two kings could not resist him, how can we?” 
5 So the palace administrator, the city governor, the elders and the guardians sent this message to Jehu: “We are your servants and we will do anything you say. We will not appoint anyone as king; you do whatever you think best. 
6 Then Jehu wrote them a second letter, saying, “If you are on my side and will obey me, take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me in Jezreel by this time tomorrow.” 
Now the royal princes, seventy of them, were with the leading men of the city, who were rearing them. 
7 When the letter arrived, these men took the princes and slaughtered all seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu in Jezreel. 
8 When the messenger arrived, he told Jehu, “They have brought the heads of the princes.” 
Then Jehu ordered, “Put them in two piles at the entrance of the city gate until morning.” 
9 The next morning Jehu went out. He stood before all the people and said, “You are innocent. It was I who conspired against my master and killed him, but who killed all these? 
10 Know, then, that not a word the Lord has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail. The Lord has done what he announced through his servant Elijah.” 
11 So Jehu killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his chief men, his close friends and his priests, leaving him no survivor. 
12 Jehu then set out and went toward Samaria. At Beth Eked of the Shepherds, 
13 he met some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and asked, “Who are you?” 
They said, “We are relatives of Ahaziah, and we have come down to greet the families of the king and of the queen mother.” 
14 “Take them alive!” he ordered. So they took them alive and slaughtered them by the well of Beth Eked—forty-two of them. He left no survivor. 
15 After he left there, he came upon Jehonadab son of Rekab, who was on his way to meet him. Jehu greeted him and said, “Are you in accord with me, as I am with you?” 
“I am,” Jehonadab answered. 
“If so,” said Jehu, “give me your hand.” So he did, and Jehu helped him up into the chariot. 
16 Jehu said, “Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.” Then he had him ride along in his chariot. 
17 When Jehu came to Samaria, he killed all who were left there of Ahab’s family; he destroyed them, according to the word of the Lord spoken to Elijah.

1 Now there were in Samaria seventy sons of the house of Ahab. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria: to the officials of Jezreel,[a] to the elders and to the guardians of Ahab’s children. He said, 
2 “You have your master’s sons with you and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city and weapons. Now as soon as this letter reaches you, 
3 choose the best and most worthy of your master’s sons and set him on his father’s throne. Then fight for your master’s house.”
4 But they were terrified and said, “If two kings could not resist him, how can we?”
5 So the palace administrator, the city governor, the elders and the guardians sent this message to Jehu: “We are your servants and we will do anything you say. We will not appoint anyone as king; you do whatever you think best.
6 Then Jehu wrote them a second letter, saying, “If you are on my side and will obey me, take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me in Jezreel by this time tomorrow.”
Now the royal princes, seven

2 Kings 10:1-17 - Ahab’s Family Killed

NIV 
Sign of Jonah 
38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” 
39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 
40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 
41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. 
42 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here. 
 
ERV 
Some People Doubt Jesus’ Authority 
(Mk. 8:11–12; Lk. 11:29–32) 
38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law answered Jesus. They said, “Teacher, we want to see you do a miracle as a sign from God.” 
39 Jesus answered, “Evil and sinful people are the ones who want to see a miracle as a sign. But no miracle will be done to prove anything to them. The only sign will be the miracle that happened to the prophet Jonah.f 
40 Jonah was in the stomach of the big fish for three days and three nights. In the same way, the Son of Man will be in the grave three days and three nights. 
41 On the judgment day, you people who live now will be compared with the people from Nineveh,g and they will be witnesses who show how guilty you are. Why do I say this? Because when Jonah preached to those people, they changed their lives. And you are listening to someone greater than Jonah, but you refuse to change! 
42 “On the judgment day, you people who live now will also be compared with the queen of the South,h and she will be a witness who shows how guilty you are. I say this because she traveled from far, far away to listen to Solomon’s wise teaching. And I tell you that someone greater than Solomon is right here, but you won’t listen! 
 
NKJV 
The Scribes and Pharisees Ask for a Sign 
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 
39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 
40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 
41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 
42 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.

NIV
Sign of Jonah
38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”
39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 
40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 
41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. 
42 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.

ERV
Some People Doubt Jesus’ Authority
(Mk. 8:11–12; Lk. 11:29–32)
38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law answered Jesus. They said, “Teacher, we want to see you do a miracle

Sign of Jonah - Matthew 12 :38-42

Jehu Kills Joram and Ahaziah 
14 So Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now Joram and all Israel had been defending Ramoth Gilead against Hazael king of Aram, 
15 but King Joram[a] had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him in the battle with Hazael king of Aram.) Jehu said, “If you desire to make me king, don’t let anyone slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel.” 
16 Then he got into his chariot and rode to Jezreel, because Joram was resting there and Ahaziah king of Judah had gone down to see him. 
17 When the lookout standing on the tower in Jezreel saw Jehu’s troops approaching, he called out, “I see some troops coming.” 
“Get a horseman,” Joram ordered. “Send him to meet them and ask, ‘Do you come in peace?’” 
18 The horseman rode off to meet Jehu and said, “This is what the king says: ‘Do you come in peace?’” 
“What do you have to do with peace?” Jehu replied. “Fall in behind me.” 
The lookout reported, “The messenger has reached them, but he isn’t coming back.” 
19 So the king sent out a second horseman. When he came to them he said, “This is what the king says: ‘Do you come in peace?’” 
Jehu replied, “What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me.” 
20 The lookout reported, “He has reached them, but he isn’t coming back either. The driving is like that of Jehu son of Nimshi—he drives like a maniac.” 
21 “Hitch up my chariot,” Joram ordered. And when it was hitched up, Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah rode out, each in his own chariot, to meet Jehu. They met him at the plot of ground that had belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite. 
22 When Joram saw Jehu he asked, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?” 
“How can there be peace,” Jehu replied, “as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?” 
23 Joram turned about and fled, calling out to Ahaziah, “Treachery, Ahaziah!” 
24 Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow pierced his heart and he slumped down in his chariot. 
25 Jehu said to Bidkar, his chariot officer, “Pick him up and throw him on the field that belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite. Remember how you and I were riding together in chariots behind Ahab his father when the Lord spoke this prophecy against him: 
26 ‘Yesterday I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons, declares the Lord, and I will surely make you pay for it on this plot of ground, declares the Lord.’[b] Now then, pick him up and throw him on that plot, in accordance with the word of the Lord.” 
27 When Ahaziah king of Judah saw what had happened, he fled up the road to Beth Haggan.[c] Jehu chased him, shouting, “Kill him too!” They wounded him in his chariot on the way up to Gur near Ibleam, but he escaped to Megiddo and died there. 
28 His servants took him by chariot to Jerusalem and buried him with his ancestors in his tomb in the City of David. 
29 (In the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king of Judah.) 
Jezebel Killed 
30 Then Jehu went to Jezreel. When Jezebel heard about it, she put on eye makeup, arranged her hair and looked out of a window. 
31 As Jehu entered the gate, she asked, “Have you come in peace, you Zimri, you murderer of your master?”[d] 
32 He looked up at the window and called out, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked down at him. 
33 “Throw her down!” Jehu said. So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered the wall and the horses as they trampled her underfoot. 
34 Jehu went in and ate and drank. “Take care of that cursed woman,” he said, “and bury her, for she was a king’s daughter.” 
35 But when they went out to bury her, they found nothing except her skull, her feet and her hands. 36 They went back and told Jehu, who said, “This is the word of the Lord that he spoke through his servant Elijah the Tishbite: On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs will devour Jezebel’s flesh.[e] 
37 Jezebel’s body will be like dung on the ground in the plot at Jezreel, so that no one will be able to say, ‘This is Jezebel.’”

Jehu Kills Joram and Ahaziah
14 So Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now Joram and all Israel had been defending Ramoth Gilead against Hazael king of Aram, 
15 but King Joram[a] had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him in the battle with Hazael king of Aram.) Jehu said, “If you desire to make me king, don’t let anyone slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel.” 
16 Then he got into his chariot and rode to Jezreel, because Joram was resting there and Ahaziah king of Judah had gone down to see him.
17 When the lookout standing on the tower in Jezreel saw Jehu’s troops approaching, he called out, “I see some troops coming.”
“Get a horseman,” Joram ordered. “Send him to meet them and ask, ‘Do you come in peace?’”
18 The horseman rode off to meet Jehu and said, “This is what the king says: ‘Do you come in peace?’”
“What do you have to do with peace?” Jehu replied. “Fall in behind me.”
The lookout r

2 Kings 9:14-37 Jehu Kills Joram & Ahaziah

ERV - Love Your Enemies 
(Mt. 5:38–48; 7:12a) 
27 “But I say to you people who are listening to me, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. 
28 Ask God to bless the people who ask for bad things to happen to you. Pray for the people who are mean to you. 
29 If someone hits you on the side of your face, let them hit the other side too. If someone takes your coat, don’t stop them from taking your shirt too. 
30 Give to everyone who asks you for something. When someone takes something that is yours, don’t ask for it back. 
31 Do for others what you want them to do for you. 
32 “If you love only those who love you, should you get any special praise for doing that? No, even sinners love those who love them! 
33 If you do good only to those who do good to you, should you get any special praise for doing that? No, even sinners do that! 
34 If you lend things to people, always expecting to get something back, should you get any special praise for that? No, even sinners lend to other sinners so that they can get back the same amount! 
35 “I’m telling you to love your enemies and do good to them. Lend to people without expecting to get anything back. If you do this, you will have a great reward. You will be children of the Most High God. Yes, because God is good even to the people who are full of sin and not thankful. 
36 Give love and mercy the same as your Father gives love and mercy. 
 
NIV 
27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 
28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 
29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 
30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 
35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 
36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 
 
NKJV 
Love Your Enemies 
27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 
28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. 
29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 
30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 
31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. 
32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 
33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 
34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 
35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, [a]hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 
36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

ERV - Love Your Enemies
(Mt. 5:38–48; 7:12a)
27 “But I say to you people who are listening to me, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. 
28 Ask God to bless the people who ask for bad things to happen to you. Pray for the people who are mean to you. 
29 If someone hits you on the side of your face, let them hit the other side too. If someone takes your coat, don’t stop them from taking your shirt too. 
30 Give to everyone who asks you for something. When someone takes something that is yours, don’t ask for it back. 
31 Do for others what you want them to do for you.
32 “If you love only those who love you, should you get any special praise for doing that? No, even sinners love those who love them! 
33 If you do good only to those who do good to you, should you get any special praise for doing that? No, even sinners do that! 
34 If you lend things to people, always expecting to get something back, should you get any special praise for that? No, even sinners lend to other sin

Love Your Enemies - Luke 6:27-36

ERV 
Jesus Says a Fig Tree Will Die 
12 The next day, Jesus was leaving Bethany. He was hungry. 
13 He saw a fig tree with leaves. So he went to the tree to see if it had any figs growing on it. But he found no figs on the tree. There were only leaves, because it was not the right time for figs to grow. 14 So Jesus said to the tree, “People will never eat fruit from you again.” His followers heard him say this. 
Jesus Goes to the Temple 
15 When Jesus and his followers came to Jerusalem, they entered the Temple area. Jesus began driving out the people who were buying and selling things there. He turned over the tables that belonged to those who were exchanging different kinds of money. And he turned over the benches of those who were selling doves. 
16 He refused to allow anyone to carry things through the Temple area. 
17 Then Jesus began teaching the people and said, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations.’[b] But you have changed it into a ‘hiding place for thieves.’[c]” 
18 When the leading priests and the teachers of the law heard what Jesus said, they began trying to find a way to kill him. They were afraid of him because all the people were amazed at his teaching. 19 That night Jesus and his followers left the city. 
Jesus Shows the Power of Faith 
20 The next morning Jesus was walking with his followers. They saw the fig tree that he spoke to the day before. The tree was dry and dead, even the roots. 
21 Peter remembered the tree and said to Jesus, “Teacher, look! Yesterday, you told that fig tree to die. Now it is dry and dead!” 
22 Jesus answered, “Have faith in God. 
23 The truth is, you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, mountain, fall into the sea.’ And if you have no doubts in your mind and believe that what you say will happen, then God will do it for you. 
24 So I tell you to ask for what you want in prayer. And if you believe that you have received those things, then they will be yours. 
25 When you are praying and you remember that you are angry with another person about something, forgive that person. Forgive them so that your Father in heaven will also forgive your sins.” 26 [d] 
 
NIV 
Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clears the Temple Courts 
12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 
13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 
14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it. 
15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 
16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 
 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’[c]? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’[d]” 
18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. 
19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples[e] went out of the city. 
20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 
21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” 
22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 
23 “Truly[f] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 
24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 
25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” [26] [g]

ERV Jesus Says a Fig Tree Will Die 12 The next day, Jesus was leaving Bethany. He was hungry. 13 He saw a fig tree with leaves ...

Jesus Says a Fig Tree Will Die - Mark 11:12-26 (Matthew 21:18-19)

1 The prophet Elisha summoned a man from the company of the prophets and said to him, “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take this flask of olive oil with you and go to Ramoth Gilead. 
2 When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room. 
3 Then take the flask and pour the oil on his head and declare, ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run; don’t delay!” 
4 So the young prophet went to Ramoth Gilead. 
5 When he arrived, he found the army officers sitting together. “I have a message for you, commander,” he said. 
“For which of us?” asked Jehu. 
“For you, commander,” he replied. 
6 Jehu got up and went into the house. Then the prophet poured the oil on Jehu’s head and declared, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anoint you king over the Lord’s people Israel. 
7 You are to destroy the house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the Lord’s servants shed by Jezebel. 
8 The whole house of Ahab will perish. I will cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel—slave or free. a 
9 I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah. 
10 As for Jezebel, dogs will devour her on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and no one will bury her.’ ” Then he opened the door and ran. 
11 When Jehu went out to his fellow officers, one of them asked him, “Is everything all right? Why did this maniac come to you?” 
“You know the man and the sort of things he says,” Jehu replied. 
12 “That’s not true!” they said. “Tell us.” 
Jehu said, “Here is what he told me: ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.’ ” 
13 They quickly took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, “Jehu is king!”

1 The prophet Elisha summoned a man from the company of the prophets and said to him, “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take this ...

2 Kings 9:1-13 - Jehu Anointed King of Israel

ERV 
32 Next, a Levite came near. He saw the hurt man, but he went around him. He would not stop to help him either. He just walked away. 
33 “Then a Samaritan man traveled down that road. He came to the place where the hurt man was lying. He saw the man and felt very sorry for him. 
34 The Samaritan went to him and poured olive oil and winee on his wounds. Then he covered the man’s wounds with cloth. The Samaritan had a donkey. He put the hurt man on his donkey, and he took him to an inn. There he cared for him. 
35 The next day, the Samaritan took out two silver coins and gave them to the man who worked at the inn. He said, ‘Take care of this hurt man. If you spend more money on him, I will pay it back to you when I come again.’” 
36 Then Jesus said, “Which one of these three men do you think was really a neighbor to the man who was hurt by the robbers?” 
37 The teacher of the law answered, “The one who helped him.” 
Jesus said, “Then you go and do the same.” 
Mary and Martha 
38 While Jesus and his followers were traveling, he went into a town, and a woman named Martha let him stay at her house. 
39 She had a sister named Mary. Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to him teach. 
40 But her sister Martha was busy doing all the work that had to be done. Martha went in and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 
41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are getting worried and upset about too many things. 
42 Only one thing is important. Mary has made the right choice, and it will never be taken away from her.” 
 
NIV 
32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 
 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 
34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 
35The next day he took out two denarii e and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 
36“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 
37The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” 
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” 
At the Home of Martha and Mary 
38As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 
39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 
40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 
41“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 
42but few things are needed—or indeed only one. f Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

ERV
32 Next, a Levite came near. He saw the hurt man, but he went around him. He would not stop to help him either. He just walked away.
33 “Then a Samaritan man traveled down that road. He came to the place where the hurt man was lying. He saw the man and felt very sorry for him. 
34 The Samaritan went to him and poured olive oil and winee on his wounds. Then he covered the man’s wounds with cloth. The Samaritan had a donkey. He put the hurt man on his donkey, and he took him to an inn. There he cared for him. 
35 The next day, the Samaritan took out two silver coins and gave them to the man who worked at the inn. He said, ‘Take care of this hurt man. If you spend more money on him, I will pay it back to you when I come again.’”
36 Then Jesus said, “Which one of these three men do you think was really a neighbor to the man who was hurt by the robbers?”
37 The teacher of the law answered, “The one who helped him.”
Jesus said, “Then you go and do the same.”
Mary and Martha
38 While Jesu

Mary & Martha - Luke 10:32-42

The King and the Shunammite Woman 
1 Elisha talked to the woman whose son he had brought back to life. He said, “You and your family should move to another country, because the LORD has decided that there will be a famine here. It will last for seven years.” 
2 So the woman did what the man of God said. She went with her family to stay in the land of the Philistines for seven years. 
3 After seven years she returned from the land of the Philistines. 
She went to speak with the king to ask him to help her get back her house and land. 
4 The king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God. The king said to Gehazi, “Please tell me all the great things Elisha has done.” 
5 Gehazi was telling the king about Elisha bringing a dead person back to life. At that same time the woman whose son Elisha brought back to life went to the king. She wanted to ask him to help her get back her house and land. Gehazi said, “My lord and king, this is the woman, and this is the son who Elisha brought back to life.” 
6 The king asked the woman what she wanted, and she told him. 
Then the king chose an officer to help her. The king said, “Give to the woman all that belongs to her. And give her all the harvest of her land from the day she left the country until now.” 
Ben-Hadad Sends Hazael to Elisha 
7 Elisha went to Damascus. King Ben-Hadad of Aram was sick. Someone told Ben-Hadad, “The man of God has come here.” 
8 Then the King Ben-Hadad said to Hazael, “Take a gift and go meet the man of God. Ask him to ask the LORD if I will get well from my sickness.” 
9 So Hazael went to meet Elisha. Hazael brought a gift with him. He brought all kinds of good things from Damascus. It took 40 camels to carry everything. Hazael came to Elisha and said, “Your follower,a King Ben-Hadad of Aram, sent me to you. He asks if he will get well from his sickness.” 
10 Then Elisha said to Hazael, “Go and tell Ben-Hadad, ‘You will live.’ But really the LORD told me, ‘He will die.’” 
Elisha Makes a Prophecy About Hazael 
11 Elisha began to stare. He stared for an embarrassingly long time. Then the man of God began to cry. 
12 Hazael said, “Sir, why are you crying?” 
Elisha answered, “I am crying because I know the bad things you will do to the Israelites. You will burn their strong cities and kill their young men with swords. You will kill their babies and split open their pregnant women.” 
13 Hazael said, “I am not a powerful man!b How can I do these great things?” 
Elisha answered, “The LORD showed me that you will be king over Aram.” 
14 Then Hazael left Elisha and went to his king.c Ben-Hadad said to Hazael, “What did Elisha say to you?” 
He answered, “Elisha told me that you will live.” 
Hazael Murders Ben-Hadad 
15 But the next day Hazael took a thick cloth and dipped it in water. Then he held it on Ben-Hadad’s face until he died. Then Hazael became the new king.

The King and the Shunammite Woman
1 Elisha talked to the woman whose son he had brought back to life. He said, “You and your family should move to another country, because the LORD has decided that there will be a famine here. It will last for seven years.”
2 So the woman did what the man of God said. She went with her family to stay in the land of the Philistines for seven years. 
3 After seven years she returned from the land of the Philistines.
She went to speak with the king to ask him to help her get back her house and land.
4 The king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God. The king said to Gehazi, “Please tell me all the great things Elisha has done.”
5 Gehazi was telling the king about Elisha bringing a dead person back to life. At that same time the woman whose son Elisha brought back to life went to the king. She wanted to ask him to help her get back her house and land. Gehazi said, “My lord and king, this is the woman, and this is the son who Elisha brought 

2 Kings 8:1-15 - Shunammite’s Land Restored

1 Elisha replied, “Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says: About this time tomorrow, a seah[a] of the finest flour will sell for a shekel[b] and two seahs[c] of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.” 
2 The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?” 
“You will see it with your own eyes,” answered Elisha, “but you will not eat any of it!” 
The Siege Lifted 
3 Now there were four men with leprosy[d] at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die? 
4 If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’—the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.” 
5 At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, no one was there, 
6 for the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!” 
7 So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives. 
8 The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp, entered one of the tents and ate and drank. Then they took silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them. They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also. 
9 Then they said to each other, “What we’re doing is not right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace.” 
10 So they went and called out to the city gatekeepers and told them, “We went into the Aramean camp and no one was there—not a sound of anyone—only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents left just as they were.” 
11 The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported within the palace. 
12 The king got up in the night and said to his officers, “I will tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving; so they have left the camp to hide in the countryside, thinking, ‘They will surely come out, and then we will take them alive and get into the city.’” 
13 One of his officers answered, “Have some men take five of the horses that are left in the city. Their plight will be like that of all the Israelites left here—yes, they will only be like all these Israelites who are doomed. So let us send them to find out what happened.” 
14 So they selected two chariots with their horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army. He commanded the drivers, “Go and find out what has happened.” 
15 They followed them as far as the Jordan, and they found the whole road strewn with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown away in their headlong flight. So the messengers returned and reported to the king. 
16 Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. So a seah of the finest flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel, as the Lord had said. 
17 Now the king had put the officer on whose arm he leaned in charge of the gate, and the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king came down to his house. 
18 It happened as the man of God had said to the king: “About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.” 
19 The officer had said to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?” The man of God had replied, “You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!” 
20 And that is exactly what happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died.

1 Elisha replied, “Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says: About this time tomorrow, a seah[a] of the finest flour will sell for a shekel[b] and two seahs[c] of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.”
2 The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?”
“You will see it with your own eyes,” answered Elisha, “but you will not eat any of it!”
The Siege Lifted
3 Now there were four men with leprosy[d] at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die? 
4 If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’—the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.”
5 At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, no one was there, 
6 for the Lord had caused the Aramea

2 Kings 6:24-33, 7C - Famine in Besieged Samaria & Siege Lifted

1 The group of prophets said to Elisha, “We are staying in that place over there, but it is too small for us. 
2 Let’s go to the Jordan River and cut some wood. Each of us will get a log and we will build us a place to live there.” 
Elisha answered, “Go and do it.” 
3 One of them said, “Please go with us.” 
Elisha said, “Yes, I will go with you.” 
4 So Elisha went with the group of prophets. When they arrived at the Jordan River, they began to cut down some trees. 
5 But when one man was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head slipped from the handle and fell into the water. He shouted, “Oh, master! I borrowed that ax!” 
6 The man of God said, “Where did it fall?” 
The man showed Elisha the place where the ax head fell. Then Elisha cut a stick and threw the stick into the water. The stick made the iron ax head float. 
7 Elisha said, “So pick up the ax head.” Then the man reached out and took the ax head. 
Aram Tries to Trap Israel 
8 The king of Aram was making war against Israel. He had a council meeting with his army officers. He said, “Go to such and such a place and prepare to attack the Israelites when they come by.” 
9 But the man of God sent a message to the king of Israel. Elisha said, “Be careful! Don’t go by that place, because the Aramean soldiers are hiding there!” 
10 The king of Israel sent a message to his men at the place that the man of God warned him about. And the king of Israel saved quite a few men.[a] 
11 The king of Aram was very upset about this. He called his army officers and said to them, “Tell me who is spying for the king of Israel.” 
12 One of the officers of the king of Aram said, “My lord and king, not one of us is a spy. Elisha, the prophet from Israel, can tell the king of Israel many secret things—even the words that you speak in your bedroom!” 
13 The king of Aram said, “Find Elisha, and I will send men to catch him.” 
The servants told the king of Aram, “Elisha is in Dothan.” 
14 Then the king of Aram sent horses, chariots, and a large army to Dothan. They arrived at night and surrounded the city. 
15 Elisha’s servant got up early that morning. When he went outside, he saw an army with horses and chariots all around the city. 
The servant said to Elisha, “Oh, my master, what can we do?” 
16 Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid. The army that fights for us is larger than the army that fights for Aram.” 
17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “Lord, I ask you, open my servant’s eyes so that he can see.” 
The Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and the servant saw the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire. They were all around Elisha. 
18 These horses and chariots of fire came down to Elisha. He prayed to the Lord and said, “I pray that you will cause these people to become blind.” 
So God did what Elisha asked. He caused the Aramean army to become blind. 
19 Elisha said to the Aramean army, “This is not the right way. This is not the right city. Follow me. I will lead you to the man you are looking for.” Then Elisha led them to Samaria.[b] 
20 When they arrived at Samaria, Elisha said, “Lord, open the eyes of these men so that they can see.” 
Then the Lord opened their eyes, and the Aramean army saw they were in the city of Samaria! 
21 The king of Israel saw the Aramean army and said to Elisha, “My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?” 
22 Elisha answered, “No, don’t kill them. They are not soldiers you captured in battle. Give them some bread and water. Let them eat and drink. Then let them go home to their leader.” 
23 So the king prepared a big meal for the Aramean army. After they ate and drank, he sent them back home to their leader. The Arameans did not send any more soldiers into the land of Israel to make raids

1 The group of prophets said to Elisha, “We are staying in that place over there, but it is too small for us. 
2 Let’s go to the Jordan River and cut some wood. Each of us will get a log and we will build us a place to live there.”
Elisha answered, “Go and do it.”
3 One of them said, “Please go with us.”
Elisha said, “Yes, I will go with you.”
4 So Elisha went with the group of prophets. When they arrived at the Jordan River, they began to cut down some trees. 
5 But when one man was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head slipped from the handle and fell into the water. He shouted, “Oh, master! I borrowed that ax!”
6 The man of God said, “Where did it fall?”
The man showed Elisha the place where the ax head fell. Then Elisha cut a stick and threw the stick into the water. The stick made the iron ax head float. 
7 Elisha said, “So pick up the ax head.” Then the man reached out and took the ax head.
Aram Tries to Trap Israel
8 The king of Aram was making war against Israel. He had a counc

2 Kings 6:1- 23 -Elisha & Axe Head

Jewish Leaders Doubt Jesus’ Authority 
(Mk. 11:27–33; Lk. 20:1–8) 
ERV 
23 Jesus went into the Temple area. While Jesus was teaching there, the leading priests and the older leaders of the people came to him. They said, “Tell us! What authority do you have to do these things you are doing? Who gave you this authority?” 
24 Jesus answered, “I will ask you a question too. If you answer me, then I will tell you what authority I have to do these things. 
25 Tell me: When John baptized people, did his authority come from God, or was it only from other people?” 
The priests and the Jewish leaders talked about Jesus’ question. They said to each other, “If we answer, ‘John’s baptism was from God,’ then he will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe John?’ 
26 But we can’t say John’s baptism was from someone else. We are afraid of the people, because they all believe John was a prophet.” 
27 So they told Jesus, “We don’t know the answer.” 
Jesus said, “Then I will not tell you who gave me the authority to do these things. 
Jesus Uses a Story About Two Sons 
28 “Tell me what you think about this: There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first son and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ 
29 “The son answered, ‘I will not go.’ But later he decided he should go, and he went. 
30 “Then the father went to the other son and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ He answered, ‘Yes, sir, I will go and work.’ But he did not go. 
31 “Which of the two sons obeyed his father?” 
The Jewish leaders answered, “The first son.” 
Jesus said to them, “The truth is, you are worse than the tax collectors and the prostitutes. In fact, they will enter God’s kingdom before you enter. 
32 John came showing you the right way to live, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and prostitutes believed John. You saw that happening, but you would not change. You still refused to believe him. 
 
NIV 
23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?” 
24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 
25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?” 
They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 
26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 
27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” 
Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 
The Parable of the Two Sons 
28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ 
29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 
30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. 
31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” 
“The first,” they answered. 
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 
 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

Jewish Leaders Doubt Jesus’ Authority
(Mk. 11:27–33; Lk. 20:1–8)
ERV
23 Jesus went into the Temple area. While Jesus was teaching there, the leading priests and the older leaders of the people came to him. They said, “Tell us! What authority do you have to do these things you are doing? Who gave you this authority?”
24 Jesus answered, “I will ask you a question too. If you answer me, then I will tell you what authority I have to do these things. 
25 Tell me: When John baptized people, did his authority come from God, or was it only from other people?”
The priests and the Jewish leaders talked about Jesus’ question. They said to each other, “If we answer, ‘John’s baptism was from God,’ then he will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe John?’ 
26 But we can’t say John’s baptism was from someone else. We are afraid of the people, because they all believe John was a prophet.”
27 So they told Jesus, “We don’t know the answer.”
Jesus said, “Then I will not tell you who gave me the authority to 

Jewish Leaders Doubt Jesus Authority - Matthew 21:23-32

Elisha and the Poisoned Soup 
38 Elisha went to Gilgal again. There was a famine in the land. The group of prophets was sitting in front of Elisha. Elisha said to his servant, “Put the large pot on the fire, and make some soup for the group of prophets.” 
39 One man went out into the field to gather herbs. He found a wild vine and picked the fruit from it. He put that fruit in his robe and brought it back. He cut up the wild fruit and put it into the pot. But the group of prophets did not know what kind of fruit it was. 
40 Then they poured some of the soup for the men to eat. But when they began to eat the soup, they shouted out, “Man of God! There’s poison in the pot!” The food tasted like poison, so they could not eat that food. 
41 But Elisha said, “Bring some flour.” He threw the flour into the pot. Then he said, “Pour the soup for the people so that they can eat.” 
And there was nothing wrong with the soup. 
Elisha Feeds the Group of Prophets 
42 A man from Baal Shalishah came and brought bread from the first harvest to the man of God. This man brought 20 loaves of barley bread and fresh grain in his sack. Then Elisha said, “Give this food to the people, so that they can eat.” 
43 Elisha’s servant said, “What? There are 100 men here. How can I give this food to all those men?” 
But Elisha said, “Give the food to the people to eat. The Lord says, ‘They will eat and there will still be food left over.’” 
44 Then Elisha’s servant put the food in front of the group of prophets. The group of prophets had enough to eat, and they even had food left over. This happened just as the Lord had said.

Elisha and the Poisoned Soup
38 Elisha went to Gilgal again. There was a famine in the land. The group of prophets was sitting in front of Elisha. Elisha said to his servant, “Put the large pot on the fire, and make some soup for the group of prophets.”
39 One man went out into the field to gather herbs. He found a wild vine and picked the fruit from it. He put that fruit in his robe and brought it back. He cut up the wild fruit and put it into the pot. But the group of prophets did not know what kind of fruit it was.
40 Then they poured some of the soup for the men to eat. But when they began to eat the soup, they shouted out, “Man of God! There’s poison in the pot!” The food tasted like poison, so they could not eat that food.
41 But Elisha said, “Bring some flour.” He threw the flour into the pot. Then he said, “Pour the soup for the people so that they can eat.”
And there was nothing wrong with the soup.
Elisha Feeds the Group of Prophets
42 A man from Baal Shalishah came and broug

2 Kings 4:38-44 - Elisha & the Poisoned Soup

ERV 
 
1 While Jesus was walking, he saw a man who had been blind since the time he was born. 
2 Jesus’ followers asked him, “Teacher, why was this man born blind? Whose sin made it happen? Was it his own sin or that of his parents?” 
3 Jesus answered, “It was not any sin of this man or his parents that caused him to be blind. He was born blind so that he could be used to show what great things God can do. 
4 While it is daytime, we must continue doing the work of the one who sent me. The night is coming, and no one can work at night. 
5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 
6 After Jesus said this, he spit on the dirt, made some mud and put it on the man’s eyes. 
7 Jesus told him, “Go and wash in Siloam pool.” (Siloam means “Sent.”) So the man went to the pool, washed and came back. He was now able to see. 
8 His neighbors and some others who had seen him begging said, “Look! Is this the same man who always sits and begs?” 
9 Some people said, “Yes! He is the one.” But others said, “No, he can’t be the same man. He only looks like him.” 
So the man himself said, “I am that same man.” 
10 They asked, “What happened? How did you get your sight?” 
11 He answered, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. Then he told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went there and washed. And then I could see.” 
12 They asked him, “Where is this man?” 
He answered, “I don’t know.” 
 
NIV 
 
1As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 
2His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 
3“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 
4As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 
5While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 
6After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 
7“Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. 
8His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 
9Some claimed that he was. 
Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” 
But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” 
10“How then were your eyes opened?” they asked. 
11He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” 
12“Where is this man?” they asked him. 
“I don’t know,” he said.

ERV

1 While Jesus was walking, he saw a man who had been blind since the time he was born. 
2 Jesus’ followers asked him, “Teacher, why was this man born blind? Whose sin made it happen? Was it his own sin or that of his parents?”
3 Jesus answered, “It was not any sin of this man or his parents that caused him to be blind. He was born blind so that he could be used to show what great things God can do. 
4 While it is daytime, we must continue doing the work of the one who sent me. The night is coming, and no one can work at night. 
5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 After Jesus said this, he spit on the dirt, made some mud and put it on the man’s eyes. 
7 Jesus told him, “Go and wash in Siloam pool.” (Siloam means “Sent.”) So the man went to the pool, washed and came back. He was now able to see.
8 His neighbors and some others who had seen him begging said, “Look! Is this the same man who always sits and begs?”
9 Some people said, “Yes! He is the one.” But oth

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind - John 9:1-12

8 One day Elisha went to Shunem. And a well-to-do woman was there, who urged him to stay for a meal. So whenever he came by, he stopped there to eat. 
9 She said to her husband, “I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God. 
10 Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us.” 
11 One day when Elisha came, he went up to his room and lay down there. 
12 He said to his servant Gehazi, “Call the Shunammite.” So he called her, and she stood before him. 13 Elisha said to him, “Tell her, ‘You have gone to all this trouble for us. Now what can be done for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the commander of the army?’” 
She replied, “I have a home among my own people.” 
14 “What can be done for her?” Elisha asked. 
Gehazi said, “She has no son, and her husband is old.” 
15 Then Elisha said, “Call her.” So he called her, and she stood in the doorway. 
16 “About this time next year,” Elisha said, “you will hold a son in your arms.” 
“No, my lord!” she objected. “Please, man of God, don’t mislead your servant!” 
17 But the woman became pregnant, and the next year about that same time she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her. 
18 The child grew, and one day he went out to his father, who was with the reapers. 
19 He said to his father, “My head! My head!” 
His father told a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 
20 After the servant had lifted him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died. 
21 She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and went out. 
22 She called her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and a donkey so I can go to the man of God quickly and return.” 
23 “Why go to him today?” he asked. “It’s not the New Moon or the Sabbath.” 
“That’s all right,” she said. 
24 She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Lead on; don’t slow down for me unless I tell you.” 
25 So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel. 
When he saw her in the distance, the man of God said to his servant Gehazi, “Look! There’s the Shunammite! 
26 Run to meet her and ask her, ‘Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child all right?’” 
“Everything is all right,” she said. 
27 When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone! She is in bitter distress, but the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me why.” 
28 “Did I ask you for a son, my lord?” she said. “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t raise my hopes’?” 
29 Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take my staff in your hand and run. Don’t greet anyone you meet, and if anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my staff on the boy’s face.” 
30 But the child’s mother said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So he got up and followed her. 
31 Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or response. So Gehazi went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy has not awakened.” 
32 When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch. 
33 He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the Lord. 
34 Then he got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out on him, the boy’s body grew warm. 
35 Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out on him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. 
36 Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite.” And he did. When she came, he said, “Take your son.” 
37 She came in, fell at his feet and bowed to the ground. Then she took her son and went out.

8 One day Elisha went to Shunem. And a well-to-do woman was there, who urged him to stay for a meal. So whenever he came ...

2 kings 4:8-37 - Shunammite’s Son Restored to Life

Widow’s Olive Oil - (NIV) 
1 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.” 
2 Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” 
“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.” 
3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. 
4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.” 
5 She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. 
6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.” 
But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing. 
7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”

Widow’s Olive Oil - (NIV)
1 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”
2 Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”
“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”
3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. 
4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”
5 She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. 
6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”
But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.
7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and you

2 kings 4:1-7 - The Widow’s Olive Oil

ERV 
Jesus Washes His Followers’ Feet 
1 It was almost time for the Jewish Passover festival. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go back to the Father. Jesus had always loved the people in the world who were his. Now was the time he showed them his love the most. 
2 Jesus and his followers were at the evening meal. The devil had already persuaded Judas Iscariot to hand Jesus over to his enemies. (Judas was the son of Simon.) 
3 The Father had given Jesus power over everything. Jesus knew this. He also knew that he had come from God. And he knew that he was going back to God. 
4 So while they were eating, Jesus stood up and took off his robe. He got a towel and wrapped it around his waist. 
5 Then he poured water into a bowl and began to wash the followers’ feet.a He dried their feet with the towel that was wrapped around his waist. 
6 He came to Simon Peter. But Peter said to him, “Lord, you should not wash my feet.” 
7 Jesus answered, “You don’t know what I am doing now. But later you will understand.” 
8 Peter said, “No! You will never wash my feet.” 
Jesus answered, “If I don’t wash your feet, you are not one of my people.” 
9 Simon Peter said, “Lord, after you wash my feet, wash my hands and my head too!” 
10 Jesus said, “After a person has a bath, his whole body is clean. He needs only to wash his feet. And you are clean, but not all of you.” 
11 Jesus knew who would hand him over to his enemies. That is why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” 
12 When Jesus finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and went back to the table. He asked, “Do you understand what I did for you? 
13 You call me ‘Teacher.’ And you call me ‘Lord.’ And this is right, because that is what I am. 
14 I am your Lord and Teacher. But I washed your feet. So you also should wash each other’s feet. 
15 I did this as an example for you. So you should serve each other just as I served you. 
16 Believe me, servants are not greater than their master. Those who are sent to do something are not greater than the one who sent them. 
17 If you know these things, great blessings will be yours if you do them. 
 
NIV 
1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 
3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 
4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 
5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” 
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” 
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” 
10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 
11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. 
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 
13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 
14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 
15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 
16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 
17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

ERV 
Jesus Washes His Followers’ Feet
1 It was almost time for the Jewish Passover festival. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go back to the Father. Jesus had always loved the people in the world who were his. Now was the time he showed them his love the most.
2 Jesus and his followers were at the evening meal. The devil had already persuaded Judas Iscariot to hand Jesus over to his enemies. (Judas was the son of Simon.) 
3 The Father had given Jesus power over everything. Jesus knew this. He also knew that he had come from God. And he knew that he was going back to God. 
4 So while they were eating, Jesus stood up and took off his robe. He got a towel and wrapped it around his waist. 
5 Then he poured water into a bowl and began to wash the followers’ feet.a He dried their feet with the towel that was wrapped around his waist.
6 He came to Simon Peter. But Peter said to him, “Lord, you should not wash my feet.”
7 Jesus answered, “You don’t know what I 

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet - John 13:1-17

ERV 
1 Jesus said, “It is certainly true that when a man enters the sheep pen, he should use the gate. If he climbs in some other way, he is a robber. He is trying to steal the sheep. 
2 But the man who takes care of the sheep enters through the gate. He is the shepherd. 
3 The man who guards the gate opens the gate for the shepherd. And the sheep listen to the voice of the shepherd. He calls his own sheep, using their names, and he leads them out. 
4 He brings all of his sheep out. Then he goes ahead of them and leads them. The sheep follow him, because they know his voice. 
5 But sheep will never follow someone they don’t know. They will run away from him, because they don’t know his voice.” 
6 Jesus told the people this story, but they did not understand what it meant. 
Jesus Is the Good Shepherd 
7 So Jesus said again, “I assure you, I am the gate for the sheep. 
8 All those who came before me were thieves and robbers. The sheep did not listen to them. 
9 I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved. They will be able to come in and go out. They will find everything they need. 
10 A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came to give life—life that is full and good. 
11 “I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. 
12 The worker who is paid to keep the sheep is different from the shepherd. The paid worker does not own the sheep. So when he sees a wolf coming, he runs away and leaves the sheep alone. Then the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. 
13 The man runs away because he is only a paid worker. He does not really care for the sheep. 
14-15 “I am the shepherd who cares for the sheep. I know my sheep just as the Father knows me. And my sheep know me just as I know the Father. I give my life for these sheep. 
16 I have other sheep too. They are not in this flock here. I must lead them also. They will listen to my voice. In the future there will be one flock and one shepherd.a 
17 The Father loves me because I give my life. I give my life so that I can get it back again. 
18 No one takes my life away from me. I give my own life freely. I have the right to give my life, and I have the right to get it back again. This is what the Father told me.” 
19 Again the Jews were divided over what Jesus was saying. 
20 Many of them said, “A demon has come into him and made him crazy. Why listen to him?” 
21 But others said, “These aren’t the words of someone controlled by a demon. A demon cannot heal the eyes of a blind man.” 
 
NIV 
The Good Shepherd and His Sheep 
1 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 
 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 
3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 
4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 
5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 
6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. 
 
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 
 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 
9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 
12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 
13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 
15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 
16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 
17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 
18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” 
19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided. 
20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?” 
21 But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

ERV
1 Jesus said, “It is certainly true that when a man enters the sheep pen, he should use the gate. If he climbs in some other way, he is a robber. He is trying to steal the sheep. 
2 But the man who takes care of the sheep enters through the gate. He is the shepherd. 
3 The man who guards the gate opens the gate for the shepherd. And the sheep listen to the voice of the shepherd. He calls his own sheep, using their names, and he leads them out. 
4 He brings all of his sheep out. Then he goes ahead of them and leads them. The sheep follow him, because they know his voice. 
5 But sheep will never follow someone they don’t know. They will run away from him, because they don’t know his voice.”
6 Jesus told the people this story, but they did not understand what it meant.
Jesus Is the Good Shepherd
7 So Jesus said again, “I assure you, I am the gate for the sheep. 
8 All those who came before me were thieves and robbers. The sheep did not listen to them. 
9 I am the gate. Whoever enters 

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