Love

1 Corinthians 13 What if I could speak all languages
of humans and of angels?
If I did not love others,
I would be nothing more than a noisy gong
or a clanging cymbal.
²What if I could prophesy
and understand all secrets and all knowledge?
And what if I had faith that moved mountains?
I would be nothing, unless I loved others.
³What if I gave away all that I owned
and let myself be burned alive?
I would gain nothing, unless I loved others.
⁴Love is kind and patient,
never jealous, boastful, proud, or ⁵rude.
Love isn't selfish or quick tempered.
It doesn't keep a record of wrongs that others do.
⁶Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil.
⁷Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting.
⁸Love never fails!

Everyone who prophesies will stop,
and unknown languages will no longer be spoken.
All that we know will be forgotten.
⁹We don't know everything,
and our prophecies are not complete.
¹⁰But what is perfect will someday appear,
and what isn't perfect will then disappear.

¹¹When we were children,
we thought and reasoned as children do.
But when we grew up, we quit our childish ways.
¹²Now all we can see of God
is like a cloudy picture in a mirror.
Later we will see him face to face.
We don't know everything, but then we will,
just as God completely understands us.
¹³For now there are faith, hope, and love.
But of these three, the greatest is love.

The Syrian Army Stops Its Attack

2 Kings 7³About the same time, four men with leprosy were just outside the gate of Samaria. They said to each other, "Why should we sit here, waiting to die? ⁴There's nothing to eat in the city, so we would starve if we went inside. But if we stay out here, we will die for sure. Let's sneak over to the Syrian army camp and surrender. They might kill us, but they might not." ^5-8That evening the four men got up and left for the Syrian camp.
As they walked toward the camp, the Lord caused the Syrian troops to hear what sounded like the roar of a huge cavalry. The soldiers said to each other, "Listen! The king of Israel must have hired Hittite and Egyptian troops to attack us. Let's get out of here!" So they ran out of their camp that night, leaving their tents and horses and donkeys.
When the four men with leprosy reached the edge of the Syrian camp, no one was there. They walked into one of the tents, where they ate and drank, before carrying off clothes, as well as silver and gold. They hid all this, then walked into another tent; they took what they wanted and hid it too.
⁹They said to each other, "This isn't right. Today is a day to celebrate, and we haven't told anyone else what has happened. If we wait until morning, we will be punished. Let's go to the king's palace right now and tell the good news."
¹⁰They went back to Samaria and shouted up to the guards at the gate, "We've just come from the Syrian army camp, and all the soldiers are gone! The tents are empty, and the horses and donkeys are still tied up. We didn't see or hear anybody."
¹¹The guards reported the news to the king's palace. ¹²The king got out of bed and said to his officers, "I know what those Syrians are doing. They know we're starving, so they're hiding in the fields, hoping we will go out to look for food. When we do, they can capture us and take over our city."
¹³One of his officers replied, "We have a few horses left--why don't we let some men take five of them and go to the Syrian camp and see what's happening? We're going to die anyway like those who have already died." ¹⁴They found two chariots, and the king commanded the men to find out what had happened to the Syrian troops.
¹⁵The men rode as far as the Jordan River. All along the way they saw clothes and equipment that the Syrians had thrown away as they escaped. Then they went back to the king and told him what they had seen.
¹⁶At once the people went to the Syrian camp and carried off what was left. They took so much that a large sack of flour and two large sacks of barley sold for almost nothing, just as the LORD had promised.
¹⁷The king of Israel had put his chief officer in charge of the gate, but he died when the people trampled him as they rushed out of the city. ¹⁸Earlier, when the king was at Elisha's house, Elisha had told him that flour or barley would sell for almost nothing. ¹⁹But the officer refused to believe that even the LORD could do that. So Elisha warned him that he would see it happen, but would not eat any of the food. ²⁰And that's exactly what happened--the officer was trampled to death.

Jonah's Prayer

Jonah 2 From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the LORD his God:
²When I was in trouble, LORD, I prayed to you,
and you listened to me.
From deep in the world of the dead,
I begged for your help, and you answered my prayer.

³You threw me down to the bottom of the sea.
The water was churning all around;
I was completely covered by your mighty waves.
⁴I thought I was swept away from your sight,
never again to see your holy temple.

⁵I was almost drowned by the swirling waters
that surrounded me.
Seaweed had wrapped around my head.
⁶I had sunk down below the underwater mountains;
I knew that forever, I would be a prisoner there.

But, you, LORD God, rescued me from that pit.
⁷When my life was slipping away, I remembered you--
and in your holy temple you heard my prayer.

⁸All who worship worthless idols
turn from the God who offers them mercy.
⁹But with shouts of praise, I will offer a sacrifice
to you, my LORD.
I will keep my promise, because you are the one
with power to save.
¹⁰The LORD commanded the fish to vomit up Jonah on the shore. And it did.