Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash king of Israel went down to him, and wept before him, crying, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!”
Matthew 23:9 - Revised Standard Version (RSV-CI) And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. More versionsKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Amplified Bible - Classic Edition And do not call anyone [in the church] on earth father, for you have one Father, Who is in heaven. American Standard Version (1901) And call no man your father on the earth: for one is your Father, even he who is in heaven. Common English Bible Don’t call anybody on earth your father, because you have one Father, who is heavenly. Catholic Public Domain Version And do not choose to call anyone on earth your father. For One is your Father, who is in heaven. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version And call none your father upon earth; for one is your father, who is in heaven. |
Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash king of Israel went down to him, and wept before him, crying, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!”
And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and rent them in two pieces.
When the king of Israel saw them he said to Elisha, “My father, shall I slay them? Shall I slay them?”
“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. You say, ‘How have we despised thy name?’
For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
and I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
Besides this, we have had earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.