The odd, funny and quietly brilliant bits most people skip.
Wait, that's in there? · Small miracles · One line, and everything changes · They asked anyway · Nobody could have timed it · Kindness from the wrong side · Seen
Loads of us were at Mary’s house, John Mark’s mum, praying for Peter, because Herod’s got him in prison. Someone knocked at the gate and I went to answer. I knew that voice. It was literally Peter! I was so happy I ran back in to tell everyone and completely forgot to open the gate.
ACTS 12:12–14 · BSB
And when he had realized this, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered together and were praying. He knocked at the outer gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that she forgot to open the gate, but ran inside and announced, “Peter is standing at the gate!”
Paul talked until midnight. I was sitting in the window, three floors up. I fell asleep. Then I fell.
ACTS 20:7–9 · BSB
On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Since Paul was ready to leave the next day, he talked to them and kept on speaking until midnight. Now there were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. And a certain young man named Eutychus, seated in the window, was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell from the third story and was picked up dead.
He was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw his arms round him: “Don’t be alarmed. He’s alive.” Then Paul went back upstairs, broke bread, ate, and kept talking until dawn. They took the young man home alive, and everyone was hugely comforted.
ACTS 20:9–12 · BSB
And a certain young man named Eutychus, seated in the window, was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell from the third story and was picked up dead. But Paul went down, threw himself on the young man, and embraced him. “Do not be alarmed!” he said. “He is still alive!” Then Paul went back upstairs, broke bread, and ate. And after speaking until daybreak, he departed. And the people were greatly relieved to take the boy home alive.
They cast lots for the king at Mizpah today. Benjamin. Then the clan of Matri. Then Saul son of Kish. And the man himself is nowhere to be found.
1 SAMUEL 10:20–21 · BSB
Thus Samuel had all the tribes of Israel come forward, and the tribe of Benjamin was selected. Then he had the tribe of Benjamin come forward by its clans, and the clan of Matri was selected. Finally, Saul son of Kish was selected. But when they looked for him, they could not find him.
Three times I got out of the way, three times he beat me. So I asked him. What have I done to you? Have I ever done this to you before?
NUMBERS 22:28; NUMBERS 22:30 · BSB
Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?” But the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not the donkey you have ridden all your life until today? Have I ever treated you this way before?” “No,” he replied.
I told her if I had a sword I’d kill her. Then I had to admit she’d never done this before.
NUMBERS 22:29–30 · BSB
Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now!” But the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not the donkey you have ridden all your life until today? Have I ever treated you this way before?” “No,” he replied.
They grabbed me too. I was only wearing a linen sheet. They kept the sheet. They did not keep me.
MARK 14:51–52 · BSB
One young man who had been following Jesus was wearing a linen cloth around his body. They caught hold of him, but he pulled free of the linen cloth and ran away naked.
One young man who had been following Jesus was wearing a linen cloth around his body. They caught hold of him, but he pulled free of the linen cloth and ran away naked.
Look. You know what these people are like, always set on doing wrong. They said make us gods. I said anyone with gold, take it off and hand it over. So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!
EXODUS 32:22–24 · BSB
“Do not be enraged, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know that the people are intent on evil. They told me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!’ So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, let him take it off,’ and they gave it to me. And when I threw it into the fire, out came this calf!”
He took the gold from their hands, and with an engraving tool he fashioned it into a molten calf. And they said, “These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”
Wrote this one after pretending to be mad in front of the king in Gath. Scratching at the gate, spit running down my beard. He threw me out.
Taste and see that the LORD is good.
PSALM 34:1; 1 SAMUEL 21:13; PSALM 34:8 · BSB
Of David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, so that the king drove him away. I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. So he changed his behavior before them and feigned madness in their hands; he scratched on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down his beard. Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
Am I really so short of madmen that you bring this one here to rave in front of me? Is this man to come into my house?
1 SAMUEL 21:14–15 · BSB
Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you can see that the man is insane! Why have you brought him to me? Am I in need of madmen, that you have brought this man to rave in my presence? Must this man come into my house?”
We were cutting trees by the Jordan to build a new place to live, and my axe head flew off into the water. Oh no. It was borrowed! Elisha asked where it went in, cut a stick and threw it there, and the iron floated. I just reached out and picked it up.
2 KINGS 6:1–7 · BSB
Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Please take note that the place where we meet with you is too small for us. Please let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a log so we can build ourselves a place to live there.” “Go,” said Elisha. Then one of them said, “Please come with your servants.” “I will come,” he replied. So Elisha went with them, and when they came to the Jordan, they began to cut down some trees. As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axe head fell into the water. “Oh, my master,” he cried out, “it was borrowed!” “Where did it fall?” asked the man of God. And when he showed him the place, the man of God cut a stick, threw it there, and made the iron float. “Lift it out,” he said, and the man reached out his hand and took it.
Famine at Gilgal. Someone went out for herbs and came back with a cloak full of wild gourds nobody recognised, and chopped them into the stew. First mouthful, people are shouting: man of God, there’s death in the pot! He threw in some flour. Serve it up, he said. And there was nothing wrong with it.
2 KINGS 4:38–41 · BSB
When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a famine in the land. As the sons of the prophets were sitting at his feet, he said to his attendant, “Put on the large pot and boil some stew for the sons of the prophets.” One of them went out to the field to gather herbs, and he found a wild vine from which he gathered as many wild gourds as his garment could hold. Then he came back and cut them up into the pot of stew, though no one knew what they were. And they poured it out for the men to eat, but when they tasted the stew they cried out, “There is death in the pot, O man of God!” And they could not eat it. Then Elisha said, “Get some flour.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Pour it out for the people to eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot.
My husband has died. He was one of Elisha’s prophets, and Elisha knows he honoured the LORD. Now the man he owed money to is coming to take my two boys as slaves. Elisha asked what I’ve got in the house. Nothing. One jar of oil.
2 KINGS 4:1–2 · BSB
Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And now his creditor is coming to take my two children as his slaves!” “How can I help you?” asked Elisha. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”
Told her: go round all your neighbours and borrow empty jars. Not just a few. Then shut the door on you and your sons and start pouring.
2 KINGS 4:3–4 · BSB
“Go,” said Elisha, “borrow empty jars from all your neighbors. Do not gather just a few. Then go inside, shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour oil into all these jars, setting the full ones aside.”
Some people brought me to him in Bethsaida. He took my hand and led me out of the village. Spat on my eyes, put his hands on me, and asked if I could see anything. People, I said. But they look like trees walking about. He put his hands on my eyes again. Now I can see everything clearly.
MARK 8:22–25 · BSB
When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then He spit on the man’s eyes and placed His hands on him. “Can you see anything?” He asked. The man looked up and said, “I can see the people, but they look like trees walking around.” Once again Jesus placed His hands on the man’s eyes, and when he opened them his sight was restored, and he could see everything clearly.
Elisha dies and is buried. Some time later, some Israelites are burying a man when they spot a band of Moabite raiders. They throw the body into Elisha’s tomb. The moment it touches Elisha’s bones, the man comes back to life and stands up.
2 KINGS 13:20–21 · BSB
And Elisha died and was buried. Now the Moabite raiders used to come into the land every spring. Once, as the Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders, so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. And as soon as his body touched the bones of Elisha, the man was revived and stood up on his feet.
We just threw him in. Then he stood up on his feet.
2 KINGS 13:21 · BSB
Once, as the Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders, so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. And as soon as his body touched the bones of Elisha, the man was revived and stood up on his feet.
Tax collectors asked me if our teacher pays the temple tax. I said yes. Then, I kid you not, he sends me fishing: take the first fish I catch, open its mouth, and there’ll be a coin in there. Enough for his tax and mine.
MATTHEW 17:24–27 · BSB
After they had arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, “Does your Teacher pay the two drachmas?” “Yes,” he answered. When Peter entered the house, Jesus preempted him. “What do you think, Simon?” He asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs and taxes: from their own sons, or from others?” “From others,” Peter answered. “Then the sons are exempt,” Jesus said to him. “But so that we may not offend them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish you catch. When you open its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for My tax and yours.”
3One line, and everything changes
They get a sentence or two, and without them the story doesn't happen.
Then the king tries something quieter. He calls in two Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, and gives them an order: when you deliver a Hebrew baby, if it’s a boy, kill him. They don’t. They fear God more than they fear him.
EXODUS 1:15–17 · BSB
Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, “When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them on the birthstools. If the child is a son, kill him; but if it is a daughter, let her live.” The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live.
He calls them back in. Why are the boys still alive? Their answer: Hebrew women aren’t like Egyptian women. They’re strong. The baby’s out before the midwife even gets there.
EXODUS 1:18–19 · BSB
So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?” The midwives answered Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before a midwife arrives.”
Aramean raiders took me from home in Israel. Now I work for Naaman’s wife. Told her: if only he’d go and see the prophet in Samaria. He’d heal him.
2 KINGS 5:2–3 · BSB
At this time the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken a young girl from the land of Israel, and she was serving Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my master would go to the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his leprosy.”
Told my king what the girl from Israel said. He said go, and he’d send a letter to the king of Israel. So I’m on my way with ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothes.
2 KINGS 5:4–5 · BSB
And Naaman went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel had said. “Go now,” said the king of Aram, “and I will send you with a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman departed, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of clothing.
That’s my nephew, Joash, my brother Ahaziah’s son. When Athaliah took the throne, I took him and his nurse and hid them in a bedroom. He’s been hidden in the house of the LORD for six years.
But Jehosheba daughter of King Joram, the sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the sons of the king who were being murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah, and he was not killed. And Joash remained hidden with his nurse in the house of the LORD for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.
Heard what they’d done to Jeremiah. The king was sitting at the Benjamin Gate, so I went out to him. Told him: Your Majesty, these men have done something evil. They’ve thrown Jeremiah the prophet into the cistern. He’ll starve to death down there. There’s no bread left in the city.
JEREMIAH 38:7–9 · BSB
Now Ebed-melech the Cushite, a court official in the royal palace, heard that Jeremiah had been put into the cistern. While the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin, Ebed-melech went out from the king’s palace and said to the king, “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have dropped him into the cistern, where he will starve to death, for there is no more bread in the city.”
Okay, I can say it now he’s safe. More than forty men had sworn not to eat or drink until they’d killed my uncle Paul, and the chief priests were in on it. I heard about the ambush, went to the barracks and told him. Then the commander. The commander told me not to tell anyone I’d been to him.
ACTS 23:12–22 · BSB
When daylight came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. More than forty of them were involved in this plot. They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him down to you on the pretext of examining his case more carefully. We are ready to kill him on the way.” But when the son of Paul’s sister heard about the plot, he went into the barracks and told Paul. Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him.” So the centurion took him to the commander and said, “Paul the prisoner sent and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you.” The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside, and asked, “What do you need to tell me?” He answered, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul to the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the pretext of acquiring more information about him. Do not let them persuade you, because more than forty men are waiting to ambush him. They have bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him; they are ready now, awaiting your consent.” So the commander dismissed the young man and instructed him, “Do not tell anyone that you have reported this to me.”
Nine last night we left Jerusalem. Two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, two hundred spearmen. For one prisoner. We had him in Antipatris by morning, and the horsemen took him on to the governor in Caesarea.
ACTS 23:23–24; ACTS 23:31–33 · BSB
Then he called two of his centurions and said, “Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea in the third hour of the night. Provide mounts for Paul to take him safely to Governor Felix.” So the soldiers followed their orders and brought Paul by night to Antipatris. The next day they returned to the barracks and let the horsemen go on with him. When the horsemen arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and presented Paul to him.
Went down into a pit on a snowy day. There was a lion. Sorted.
2 SAMUEL 23:20 · BSB
And Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a man of valor from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. He struck down two champions of Moab, and on a snowy day he went down into a pit and killed a lion.
We’re Zelophehad’s daughters, all five of us. Our dad died with no sons. Why should his name disappear from his clan just because he had no son? Give us his land.
NUMBERS 27:1–4 · BSB
Now the daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. These were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They approached the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and the whole congregation, and said, “Our father died in the wilderness, but he was not among the followers of Korah who gathered together against the LORD. Instead, he died because of his own sin, and he had no sons. Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan because he had no sons? Give us property among our father’s brothers.”
I took it to the LORD. His answer: “Zelophehad’s daughters are right.”
NUMBERS 27:5–7 · BSB
So Moses brought their case before the LORD, and the LORD answered him, “The daughters of Zelophehad speak correctly. You certainly must give them property as an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer their father’s inheritance to them.
Dad said whoever took Kiriath-sepher could marry me. Othniel took it. Then Dad gave me land down in the dry Negev. Land's no good without water, so I rode over and asked for springs too. Got both. Upper and lower.
JOSHUA 15:16–19 · BSB
And Caleb said, “To the man who strikes down Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage.” So Othniel son of Caleb’s brother Kenaz captured the city, and Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage. One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?” “Give me a blessing,” she answered. “Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.
I took a whole city. She came back with the springs. Honestly, she won.
JOSHUA 15:17–19 · BSB
So Othniel son of Caleb’s brother Kenaz captured the city, and Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage. One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?” “Give me a blessing,” she answered. “Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.
One of the shepherds tells Abigail, Nabal’s wife. She doesn’t wait. Bread, wine, five sheep ready to cook, two hundred fig cakes, all on donkeys, and she rides out to meet four hundred armed men. She doesn’t tell her husband.
1 SAMUEL 25:14; 1 SAMUEL 25:18–20 · BSB
Meanwhile, one of Nabal’s young men informed Nabal’s wife Abigail, “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he screamed at them. Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five butchered sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs. She loaded them on donkeys and said to her young men, “Go ahead of me. I will be right behind you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal. As Abigail came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, she saw David and his men coming down toward her, and she met them.
I had sworn not one male of his would live till morning. Then she turned up. Thank the LORD for sending her, and thank God for her good sense. She stopped me killing people today.
1 SAMUEL 25:22; 1 SAMUEL 25:32–33 · BSB
May God punish David, and ever so severely, if I let one male belonging to Nabal survive until morning.” Then David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me this day! Blessed is your discernment, and blessed are you, because today you kept me from bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand.
My daughter was suffering with an evil spirit. I kept shouting after him. He said it isn’t right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs. I said fine, but even the dogs get the crumbs that fall off the table.
MATTHEW 15:22–27 · BSB
And a Canaanite woman from that region came to Him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.” But Jesus did not answer a word. So His disciples came and urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” The woman came and knelt before Him. “Lord, help me!” she said. But Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” “Yes, Lord,” she said, “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
Told him: why wouldn't I be sad? The city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and its gates have been burned. He asked what I wanted. I prayed to the God of heaven. Then I asked him to send me to Judah to rebuild it.
NEHEMIAH 2:3–5 · BSB
and replied to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” “What is your request?” replied the king. So I prayed to the God of heaven and answered the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city where my fathers are buried, so that I may rebuild it.”
Eighty-five years old. Forty-five years ago Moses sent me to scout this land, and I came back saying we can do it. I'm as strong now as I was then. So give me the hill country. Yes, the one with the Anakim in it.
JOSHUA 14:7–12 · BSB
I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back to him an honest report. Although my brothers who went with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear, I remained loyal to the LORD my God. On that day Moses swore to me, saying, ‘Surely the land on which you have set foot will be an inheritance to you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.’ Now behold, as the LORD promised, He has kept me alive these forty-five years since He spoke this word to Moses, while Israel wandered in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old, still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out. As my strength was then, so it is now for war, for going out, and for coming in. Now therefore give me this hill country that the LORD promised me on that day, for you yourself heard then that the Anakim were there, with great and fortified cities. Perhaps with the LORD’s help I will drive them out, as the LORD has spoken.”
Eighty-five and asking for the giants' hill. Respect.
JOSHUA 14:10 · BSB
Now behold, as the LORD promised, He has kept me alive these forty-five years since He spoke this word to Moses, while Israel wandered in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old,
The king just asked me what should be done for the man he wants to honour. My advice: a royal robe the king has worn, a horse the king has ridden with the royal crest on its head, and one of his top nobles to dress the man and lead him through the square, announcing that this is how the king honours someone.
I wonder who it's for.
ESTHER 6:6–9 · BSB
Haman entered, and the king asked him, “What should be done for the man whom the king is delighted to honor?” Now Haman thought to himself, “Whom would the king be delighted to honor more than me?” And Haman told the king, “For the man whom the king is delighted to honor, have them bring a royal robe that the king himself has worn and a horse on which the king himself has ridden—one with a royal crest placed on its head. Let the robe and the horse be entrusted to one of the king’s most noble princes. Let them array the man the king wants to honor and parade him on the horse through the city square, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man whom the king is delighted to honor!’”
What Haman was thinking: who would the king want to honour more than me?
ESTHER 6:6 · BSB
Haman entered, and the king asked him, “What should be done for the man whom the king is delighted to honor?” Now Haman thought to himself, “Whom would the king be delighted to honor more than me?”
Elisha had warned us: a seven-year famine is coming, go and live wherever you can. So we lived in Philistine country for seven years. Came back and went to the king about our house and land. As I walked in, Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha brought a dead boy back to life.
2 KINGS 8:1–5 · BSB
Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Arise, you and your household; go and live as a foreigner wherever you can. For the LORD has decreed that a seven-year famine will come to the land.” So the woman had proceeded to do as the man of God had instructed. And she and her household lived as foreigners for seven years in the land of the Philistines. At the end of seven years, when the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, she went to the king to appeal for her house and her land. Now the king had been speaking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, “Please relate to me all the great things Elisha has done.” And Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had brought the dead back to life. Just then the woman whose son Elisha had revived came to appeal to the king for her house and her land. So Gehazi said, “My lord the king, this is the woman, and this is the son Elisha restored to life.”
I was literally in the middle of telling the king about her boy when she walked in. Had to say it: Your Majesty, that’s her! And that’s the son!
2 KINGS 8:5 · BSB
And Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had brought the dead back to life. Just then the woman whose son Elisha had revived came to appeal to the king for her house and her land. So Gehazi said, “My lord the king, this is the woman, and this is the son Elisha restored to life.”
Four of us with leprosy, sitting outside the city gate. Options. Go into the city: famine, we die. Stay here: we die. Go over to the Aramean camp: if they spare us, we live. If they kill us, well, we die.
2 KINGS 7:3–4 · BSB
Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate, and they said to one another, “Why just sit here until we die? If we say, ‘Let us go into the city,’ we will die there from the famine in the city; but if we sit here, we will also die. So come now, let us go over to the camp of the Arameans. If they let us live, we will live; if they kill us, we will die.”
Got to the edge of their camp at dusk. Nobody. Not one man. Went into a tent, ate, drank, carried off silver and gold and clothes and hid them. Then another tent.
2 KINGS 7:5; 2 KINGS 7:8 · BSB
So they arose at twilight and went to the camp of the Arameans. But when they came to the outskirts of the camp, there was not a man to be found. When the lepers reached the edge of the camp, they went into a tent to eat and drink. Then they carried off the silver, gold, and clothing, and went and hid them. On returning, they entered another tent, carried off some items from there, and hid them.
The Arameans come down towards him. Elisha prays, and the LORD strikes them blind. This isn’t the road, he tells them, and this isn’t the town. Follow me, I’ll take you to the man you’re looking for. And he leads them straight into Samaria. Then their eyes are opened, and they’re standing in the middle of Israel’s capital.
2 KINGS 6:18–20 · BSB
As the Arameans came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, “Please strike these people with blindness.” So He struck them with blindness, according to the word of Elisha. And Elisha told them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are seeking.” And he led them to Samaria. When they had entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O LORD, open the eyes of these men that they may see.” Then the LORD opened their eyes, and they looked around and discovered that they were in Samaria.
Asked Elisha: should I kill them? Should I? He said no. Would you kill men you’d taken captive yourself? Give them food and water and send them home to their master. So we threw them a feast.
2 KINGS 6:21–23 · BSB
And when the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?” “Do not kill them,” he replied. “Would you kill those you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and then return to their master.” So the king prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. And the Aramean raiders did not come into the land of Israel again.
Brought before the king. I bowed to the ground. He told me not to be afraid, and that I’ll eat at his table, always. Asked him why he’d even look at a dead dog like me.
2 SAMUEL 9:6–8 · BSB
And when Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he fell facedown in reverence. Then David said, “Mephibosheth!” “I am your servant,” he replied. “Do not be afraid,” said David, “for surely I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog like me?”
And that’s how it’s been ever since. I eat at the king’s table like one of his own sons.
2 SAMUEL 9:11 · BSB
And Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do all that my lord the king has commanded.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s own sons.
My master left me in a field when I got sick. Three days with no food or water. David’s men found me and gave me fig cake and raisins.
1 SAMUEL 30:11–13 · BSB
Now his men found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David. They gave the man water to drink and food to eat— a piece of a fig cake and two clusters of raisins. So he ate and was revived, for he had not had any food or water for three days and three nights. Then David asked him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” “I am an Egyptian,” he replied, “the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me three days ago when I fell ill.
The two hundred who stayed behind at the brook don’t get a share. We did the fighting. They can take their wives and kids and go.
1 SAMUEL 30:21–22 · BSB
When David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Brook of Besor, they came out to meet him and the troops with him. As David approached the men, he greeted them, but all the wicked and worthless men among those who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered, except for each man’s wife and children. They may take them and go.”
No, brothers. Not with what the LORD has given us. The one who stays with the supplies gets the same as the one who goes into battle. Everyone shares alike.
1 SAMUEL 30:23–24 · BSB
But David said, “My brothers, you must not do this with what the LORD has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiders who came against us. Who will listen to your proposal? The share of the one who went to battle will match the share of the one who stayed with the supplies. They will share alike.”
A whole shipload of people just washed up on our beach. It’s pouring with rain and it’s freezing, so we’ve got a fire going for all of them.
ACTS 28:1–2 · BSB
Once we were safely ashore, we learned that the island was called Malta. The islanders showed us extraordinary kindness. They kindled a fire and welcomed all of us because it was raining and cold.
So if you count me as a partner, welcome him the way you’d welcome me. If he’s wronged you, or owes you anything, charge it to me. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I’ll pay it back. Not to mention that you owe me your very self.
PHILEMON 1:17–19 · BSB
So if you consider me a partner, receive him as you would receive me. But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand. I will repay it—not to mention that you owe me your very self.
Took Saul to the apostles myself. Told them all of it. He saw the Lord on the Damascus road, and the Lord spoke to him. And in Damascus he spoke out in Jesus’ name, no holding back.
ACTS 9:27 · BSB
Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and described how Saul had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him on the road to Damascus, and how Saul had spoken boldly in that city in the name of Jesus.
Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and described how Saul had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him on the road to Damascus, and how Saul had spoken boldly in that city in the name of Jesus.
As Hannah kept on praying before the LORD, Eli watched her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. So Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put away your wine!” “No, my lord,” Hannah replied. “I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have not had any wine or strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman, for all this time I have been praying out of the depth of my anguish and grief.”
In my defence, your lips were moving and nothing was coming out.
1 SAMUEL 1:13–14 · BSB
Hannah was praying in her heart, and though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. So Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put away your wine!”
They’ve found out we’re in Dothan. Got up early, went outside, and there’s an army round the town. Horses. Chariots. Asked Elisha what on earth we do now. He said don’t be afraid, there are more with us than with them. He prayed: LORD, open his eyes so he can see. And I saw. The hills are full of horses and chariots of fire, all round Elisha.
2 KINGS 6:13–17 · BSB
So the king said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send men to capture him.” On receiving the report, “Elisha is in Dothan,” the king of Aram sent horses, chariots, and a great army. They went there by night and surrounded the city. When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early in the morning, behold, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?” “Do not be afraid,” Elisha answered, “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
Wells we’ve dug, and what I named them:
1. Argument. The herdsmen of Gerar said it was theirs.
2. Hostility. Same again.
3. Room. Nobody fought over this one. The LORD has made room for us.
GENESIS 26:18–22 · BSB
Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died. And he gave these wells the same names his father had given them. Then Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found a well of fresh water there. But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they contended with him. Then they dug another well and quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. He moved on from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. He named it Rehoboth and said, “At last the LORD has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”
Eighty-four years old. Married seven years, a widow ever since, and I don’t leave the temple. I worship night and day, fasting and praying. And today I saw him. Thank you, God.
LUKE 2:36–38 · BSB
There was also a prophetess named Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, who was well along in years. She had been married for seven years, and then was a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming forward at that moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the Child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Second year back, and the foundation's down. The priests in their robes with trumpets, us with the cymbals, all in our places the way King David set it up. We sang it back and forth: he is good. His love for Israel lasts for ever.
Then everyone shouted.
EZRA 3:8; EZRA 3:10–11 · BSB
In the second month of the second year after they had arrived at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, and the rest of their associates including the priests, the Levites, and all who had returned to Jerusalem from the captivity, began the work. They appointed Levites twenty years of age or older to supervise the construction of the house of the LORD. When the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their positions to praise the LORD, as David king of Israel had prescribed. And they sang responsively with praise and thanksgiving to the LORD: “For He is good; for His loving devotion to Israel endures forever.” Then all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD had been laid.
I saw the first temple. When I saw this foundation I cried out loud. I couldn't stop. A lot of us old ones were the same.
EZRA 3:12 · BSB
But many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads who had seen the first temple wept loudly when they saw the foundation of this temple. Still, many others shouted joyfully.
Thirty-seven years a prisoner in Babylon. This year Evil-merodach became king, and he let me out. Spoke kindly to me. Gave me a seat above the other kings here with him. I’ve taken off my prison clothes, and I eat at the king’s table every day. He’s given me an allowance for the rest of my life.
2 KINGS 25:27–30 · BSB
On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah’s King Jehoiachin, in the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon, he released King Jehoiachin of Judah from prison. And he spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and set his throne above the thrones of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin changed out of his prison clothes, and he dined regularly at the king’s table for the rest of his life. And the king provided Jehoiachin a daily portion for the rest of his life.
Someone at the temple the day Joash was crowned
