and when Jezebel was killing the LORD's prophets, Obadiah took a hundred of them, hid them in caves in two groups of fifty, and provided them with food and water.)

He answered, " LORD God Almighty, I have always served you---you alone. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed all your prophets. I am the only one left---and they are trying to kill me!"

When Ahab saw him, he said, "So there you are---the worst troublemaker in Israel!"

The prophet then said to the king, "This is the word of the LORD: 'Because you allowed the man to escape whom I had ordered to be killed, you will pay for it with your life, and your army will be destroyed for letting his army escape.' "

The king went back home to Samaria, worried and depressed.

When Ahab saw Elijah, he said, "Have you caught up with me, my enemy?" "Yes, I have," Elijah answered. "You have devoted yourself completely to doing what is wrong in the LORD's sight.

Evil will kill the wicked; those who hate the righteous will be punished.

I am terrified by the threats of my enemies, crushed by the oppression of the wicked. They bring trouble on me; they are angry with me and hate me.

Save me from sinking in the mud; keep me safe from my enemies, safe from the deep water.

Never correct conceited people; they will hate you for it. But if you correct the wise, they will respect you.

Bloodthirsty people hate anyone who's honest, but righteous people will protect the life of such a person.

Then the people said, "Let's do something about Jeremiah! There will always be priests to instruct us, the wise to give us counsel, and prophets to proclaim God's message. Let's bring charges against him and stop listening to what he says."

You people hate anyone who challenges injustice and speaks the whole truth in court.

John the Baptist kept telling Herod, "It isn't right for you to marry your brother's wife!"

So Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted to kill him, but she could not because of Herod.

So he sent off a guard at once with orders to bring John's head. The guard left, went to the prison, and cut John's head off;

"Happy are you when people hate you, reject you, insult you, and say that you are evil, all because of the Son of Man!

The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I keep telling it that its ways are bad.

"If the world hates you, just remember that it has hated me first.

If you belonged to the world, then the world would love you as its own. But I chose you from this world, and you do not belong to it; that is why the world hates you.

They would not have been guilty of sin if I had not done among them the things that no one else ever did; as it is, they have seen what I did, and they hate both me and my Father.

Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

They tell the prophets to keep quiet. They say, "Don't talk to us about what's right. Tell us what we want to hear. Let us keep our illusions.

Then the officials went to the king and said, "This man must be put to death. By talking like this he is making the soldiers in the city lose their courage, and he is doing the same thing to everyone else left in the city. He is not trying to help the people; he only wants to hurt them."

But Micaiah answered, "By the living LORD I will say what my God tells me to!"

"Are you coming in peace?" Joram asked him. "How can there be peace," Jehu answered, "when we still have all the witchcraft and idolatry that your mother Jezebel started?"

"Mortal man," he said, "I am making you a lookout for the nation of Israel. You will pass on to them the warnings I give you.

If you do warn an evil man and he doesn't stop sinning, he will die, still a sinner, but your life will be spared.

So I solemnly declare to you this very day: if any of you should be lost, I am not responsible.

For I have not held back from announcing to you the whole purpose of God.

A warning given by an experienced person to someone willing to listen is more valuable than gold rings or jewelry made of the finest gold.

Do you think the people of Israel are under a curse? Has the LORD lost his patience? Would he really do such things? Doesn't he speak kindly to those who do right?"