Today's Readings and Stuff -- Monday, 09 May 2016

Nearly 11:00.  All the way up to 57 degrees!  Whee!  Heat wave!
(ok, sarcasm tag off now).
Just got back from doctor office, all seems in order for the next 4 months, next appointment in September.
Dear Wife is "watching" the Beloved Great-Niece next door.  Neither of us got much sleep last night, which hasn't improve anything whatever.  I suspect we'll call it an early night this evening, presuming that the cats will cooperate.  They were dancing on me at 05:00 wanting breakfast, then came back for a square dance around 06:30.  Pretty much kills sleeping in, and I did have that 09:00 appointment 20 miles away, so whatever.
Came back home, ran a coffee over to her (we about live on the stuff: I have one of those real big (~ 12 ounce) mugs from Waffle House beside me, my second of the day (but not the last).  Cats are squabbling about something, probably has to do with one of the feral neighborhood cats that has been walking around outside for two days squalling.  It's an un-fixed male, and I suspect he's seeking a fertile female, and also uttering challenges to would-be competitors.  It seems to upset our males.

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The Old Testament reading is chapters 19 and 20 of 1st Kings.  Am rather glad that I wasn't living during those turbulent times.  Oh, wait .........

I Kings 19

1	And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.
2	Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.
3	And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.
4	But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
5	And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.
6	And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.
7	And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.
8	And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.
9	And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
10	And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
11	And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:
12	And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
13	And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
14	And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
15	And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:
16	And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.
17	And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.
18	Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.
19	So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.
20	And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee?
21	And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.

I Kings 20

1	And Benhadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots; and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it.
2	And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Benhadad,
3	Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.
4	And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have.
5	And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaketh Benhadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children;
6	Yet I will send my servants unto thee to morrow about this time, and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, that whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away.
7	Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.
8	And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken not unto him, nor consent.
9	Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Benhadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do: but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, and brought him word again.
10	And Benhadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.
11	And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.
12	And it came to pass, when Ben-hadad heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, that he said unto his servants, Set yourselves in array. And they set themselves in array against the city.
13	And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.
14	And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Even by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall order the battle? And he answered, Thou.
15	Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty two: and after them he numbered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand.
16	And they went out at noon. But Benhadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him.
17	And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Benhadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are men come out of Samaria.
18	And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive.
19	So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out of the city, and the army which followed them.
20	And they slew every one his man: and the Syrians fled; and Israel pursued them: and Benhadad the king of Syria escaped on an horse with the horsemen.
21	And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter.
22	And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.
23	And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.
24	And do this thing, Take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their rooms:
25	And number thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot: and we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so.
26	And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Benhadad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.
27	And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all present, and went against them: and the children of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country.
28	And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
29	And they pitched one over against the other seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined: and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day.
30	But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and there a wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand of the men that were left. And Benhadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber.
31	And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he will save thy life.
32	So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant Benhadad saith, I pray thee, let me live. And he said, Is he yet alive? he is my brother.
33	Now the men did diligently observe whether any thing would come from him, and did hastily catch it: and they said, Thy brother Benhadad. Then he said, Go ye, bring him. Then Benhadad came forth to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot.
34	And Ben-hadad said unto him, The cities, which my father took from thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt make streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. Then said Ahab, I will send thee away with this covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and sent him away.
35	And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbor in the word of the LORD, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.
36	Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him.
37	Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded him.
38	So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face.
39	And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
40	And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it.
41	And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets.
42	And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people.
43	And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria.

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The New Testament passage here is chapter 2 of the Gospel of John.  Jesus is at a wedding and changes water into wine for the party.

John 2

1	And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
2	And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
3	And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
4	Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
5	His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
6	And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
7	Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
8	And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
9	When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
10	And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.
11	This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
12	After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.
13	And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14	And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
15	And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;
16	And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.
17	And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.
18	Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?
19	Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
20	Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
21	But he spake of the temple of his body.
22	When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.
23	Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.
24	But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,
25	And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.