One Year Bible.

Ben-hadad Attacks Samaria

¹Now Ben-hadad king of Aram assembled his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots, he marched up, besieged Samaria, and waged war against it. ²Then he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, ³saying, “This is what Ben-hadad says: ‘Your silver and gold are mine, and your best wives and children are mine!’”

⁴And the king of Israel replied, “Just as you say, my lord the king: I am yours, along with all that I have.”

⁵The messengers came back and said, “This is what Ben-hadad says: ‘I have sent to you to demand your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children. ⁶But about this time tomorrow I will send my servants to search your palace and the houses of your servants. They will seize and carry away all that is precious to you.’”

⁷Then the king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land and said, “Please take note and see that this man is looking for trouble, for when he demanded my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, I did not deny him.”

⁸And the elders and the people all said, “Do not listen to him or consent to his terms.”

⁹So Ahab answered the messengers of Ben-hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you demanded of your servant the first time I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’”

So the messengers departed and relayed the message to Ben-hadad.

¹⁰Then Ben-hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if enough dust remains of Samaria for each of my men to have a handful.”

¹¹And the king of Israel replied, “Tell him: ‘The one putting on his armor should not boast like one taking it off.’”

¹²Ben-hadad received this message while he and the kings were drinking in their tents, and he said to his servants, “Take your positions.” So they stationed themselves against the city.

Ahab Defeats Ben-hadad

¹³Meanwhile a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Do you see this entire great army? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand this very day, and you will know that I am the LORD.’”

¹⁴“By whom?” Ahab asked.

And the prophet replied, “This is what the LORD says: ‘By the young officers of the district governors.’”

“Who will start the battle?” asked Ahab.

“You will,” answered the prophet.

¹⁵So Ahab assembled the young officers of the district governors, and there were 232 men. And after them, he assembled the rest of the Israelite troops, 7,000 in all.

¹⁶They marched out at noon while Ben-hadad and the 32 kings allied with him were in their tents getting drunk. ¹⁷And the young officers of the district governors marched out first.

Now Ben-hadad had sent out scouts, who reported to him, “Men are marching out of Samaria.”

¹⁸“If they have marched out in peace,” he said, “take them alive. Even if they have marched out for war, take them alive.”

¹⁹Meanwhile, these young officers of the district governors marched out of the city, with the army behind them, ²⁰and each one struck down his opponent. So the Arameans fled, with the Israelites in pursuit. But Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on horseback with the cavalry.

²¹Then the king of Israel marched out and attacked the horses and chariots, inflicting a great slaughter on the Arameans.

²²Afterward, the prophet approached the king of Israel and said, “Go and strengthen your position, and take note what you must do, for in the spring the king of Aram will come up against you.”

²³Meanwhile, the servants of the king of Aram said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they prevailed over us. Instead, we should fight them on the plains; surely then we will prevail. ²⁴So do this: Dismiss all the kings from their positions and replace them with other officers. ²⁵And you must raise an army like the one you have lost— horse for horse and chariot for chariot— so we can fight the Israelites on the plain, where we will surely prevail.”

And the king approved their plan and acted accordingly.

Another War with Ben-hadad

²⁶In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. ²⁷The Israelites also mobilized, gathered supplies, and marched out to meet them.

The Israelites camped before them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.

²⁸Then the man of God approached the king of Israel and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because the Arameans have said that the LORD is a god of the hills and not of the valleys, I will deliver all this great army into your hand. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

²⁹For seven days the armies camped opposite each other, and on the seventh day the battle ensued, and the Israelites struck down the Arameans— a hundred thousand foot soldiers in one day.

³⁰The rest of them fled into the city of Aphek, where the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the remaining men. Ben-hadad also fled to the city and hid in an inner room.

Ahab Spares Ben-hadad

³¹Then the servants of Ben-hadad said to him, “Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful. Let us go out to the king of Israel with sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads. Perhaps he will spare your life.”

³²So with sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, they went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please spare my life.’”

And the king answered, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”

³³Now the men were looking for a sign of hope, and they quickly grasped at this word and replied, “Yes, your brother Ben-hadad.”

“Go and get him!” said the king.

Then Ben-hadad came out, and Ahab had him come up into his chariot.

³⁴Ben-hadad said to him, “I will restore the cities my father took from your father; you may set up your own marketplaces in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.”

“By this treaty I release you ,” Ahab replied. So he made a treaty with him and sent him away.

A Prophet Reproves Ahab

³⁵Meanwhile, by the word of the LORD, one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me, please!”

But the man refused to strike him.

³⁶Then the prophet said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, as soon as you depart from me a lion will kill you.”

And when he left, a lion found him and killed him.

³⁷Then the prophet found another man and said, “Strike me, please!”

So the man struck him and wounded him, ³⁸and the prophet went and waited on the road for the king, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes.

³⁹As the king passed by, he cried out to the king: “Your servant had marched out into the middle of the battle, when suddenly a man came over with a captive and told me, ‘Guard this man! If he goes missing for any reason, your life will be exchanged for his life, or you will weigh out a talent of silver.’ ⁴⁰But while your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared.”

And the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you have pronounced it on yourself.”

⁴¹Then the prophet quickly removed the bandage from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.

⁴²And the prophet said to the king, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you have let slip from your hand the man I had devoted to destruction, your life will be exchanged for his life, and your people for his people.’”

⁴³Sullen and angry, the king of Israel went home to Samaria.

Naboth’s Vineyard

¹Some time after these events, Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. ²So Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to use as a vegetable garden, since it is next to my palace. I will give you a better vineyard in its place — or if you prefer, I will give you its value in silver.”

³But Naboth replied, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”

⁴So Ahab went to his palace, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had told him, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” He lay down on his bed, turned his face away, and refused to eat.

⁵Soon his wife Jezebel came in and asked, “Why are you so sullen that you refuse to eat?”

⁶Ahab answered, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and told him, ‘Give me your vineyard for silver, or if you wish, I will give you another vineyard in its place.’ And he replied, ‘I will not give you my vineyard!’”

⁷But his wife Jezebel said to him, “Do you not reign over Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be cheerful, for I will get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

Jezebel’s Plot

⁸Then Jezebel wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived with Naboth in his city. ⁹In the letters she wrote:

“Proclaim a fast and give Naboth a seat of honor among the people. ¹⁰But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them testify, ‘You have cursed both God and the king!’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”

¹¹So the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city did as Jezebel had instructed in the letters she had written to them. ¹²They proclaimed a fast and gave Naboth a seat of honor among the people.

¹³And the two scoundrels came in and sat opposite Naboth, and these men testified against him before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king!”

So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death. ¹⁴Then they sent word to Jezebel: “Naboth has been stoned to death.”

¹⁵When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, who refused to give it to you for silver. For Naboth is no longer alive, but dead.”

¹⁶And when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

Elijah Denounces Ahab and Jezebel

¹⁷Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ¹⁸“Get up and go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria. See, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession of it.

¹⁹Tell him that this is what the LORD says: ‘Have you not murdered a man and seized his land?’

Then tell him that this is also what the LORD says: ‘In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, there also the dogs will lick up your blood — yes, yours!’”

²⁰When Elijah arrived, Ahab said to him, “So you have found me out, my enemy.”

He replied, “I have found you out because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD. ²¹This is what the LORD says:

‘I will bring calamity on you

and consume your descendants;

I will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel,

both slave and free.

²²I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat

and like that of Baasha son of Ahijah,

because you have provoked My anger

and caused Israel to sin.’

²³And the LORD also speaks concerning Jezebel:

‘The dogs will devour Jezebel

by the wall of Jezreel.’

²⁴Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city

will be eaten by dogs,

and anyone who dies in the field

will be eaten by the birds of the air.”

Ahab’s Repentance

²⁵(Surely there was never one like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, incited by his wife Jezebel. ²⁶He committed the most detestable acts by going after idols, just like the Amorites whom the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.)

²⁷When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth and walked around meekly.

²⁸Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying: ²⁹“Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity during his days, but I will bring it upon his house in the days of his son.”

The Word of Life

¹That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have gazed upon and touched with our own hands — this is the Word of life. ²And this is the life that was revealed; we have seen it and testified to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us.

³We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And this fellowship of ours is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. ⁴We write these things so that our joy may be complete.

Walking in the Light

⁵And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. ⁶If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

⁸If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.

Jesus Our Advocate

¹My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father — Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ²He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

³By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments. ⁴If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵But if anyone keeps His word, the love of God has been truly perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him: ⁶Whoever claims to abide in Him must walk as Jesus walked.

A New Commandment

⁷Beloved, I am not writing to you a new commandment, but an old one, which you have had from the beginning. This commandment is the message you have heard. ⁸Then again, I am also writing to you a new commandment, which is true in Him and also in you. For the darkness is fading and the true light is already shining.

⁹If anyone claims to be in the light but hates his brother, he is still in the darkness. ¹⁰Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is no cause of stumbling in him. ¹¹But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness. He does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

¹²I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven through His name.

¹³I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning.

I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.

I have written to you, children, because you know the Father.

¹⁴I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning.

I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

Do Not Love the World

¹⁵Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶For all that is in the world — the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever.

Beware of Antichrists

¹⁸Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour. ¹⁹They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us.

²⁰You, however, have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. ²¹I have not written to you because you lack knowledge of the truth, but because you have it, and because no lie comes from the truth. ²²Who is the liar, if it is not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son. ²³Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.

Remain in Christ

²⁴As for you, let what you have heard from the beginning remain in you. If it does, you will also remain in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life.

²⁶I have written these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. ²⁷And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His true and genuine anointing teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught.

²⁸And now, little children, remain in Christ, so that when He appears, we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.

²⁹If you know that He is righteous, you also know that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of Him.