23 They came to Maʹrah,*+ but they were not able to drink the water from Maʹrah because it was bitter. That is why he named it Maʹrah. 24 So the people began to murmur against Moses,+ saying: “What are we to drink?” 25 He cried out to Jehovah,+ and Jehovah directed him to a tree. When he threw it into the water, the water became sweet.

There He established for them a regulation and a case for judgment, and there He put them to the test.+

38 When E·liʹsha returned to Gilʹgal, there was famine in the land.+ The sons of the prophets+ were sitting before him, and he said to his attendant:+ “Put the large pot on and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.” 39 So one of them went out to the field to pick mallows, and he found a wild vine and picked wild gourds from it, filling his garment. He then returned and sliced them into the stewpot, not knowing what they were. 40 They later served it to the men to eat, but as soon as they ate from the stew, they cried out: “There is death in the pot, O man of the true God.” And they could not eat it. 41 So he said: “Bring some flour.” After he threw it into the pot, he said: “Serve it to the people.” And nothing harmful was in the pot.+