1 Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. 2 Ahaziah
fell down through the lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and
was sick: and he sent messengers, and said to them, Go, inquire of Baal
Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover of this sickness. 3 But
the angel of Yahweh said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the
messengers of the king of Samaria, and tell them, Is it because there is no
God in Israel, that you go to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron?
4 Now therefore thus says Yahweh, You shall not come down from the bed
where you are gone up, but shall surely die. Elijah departed. 5 The
messengers returned to him, and he said to them, Why is it that you have
returned? 6 They said to him, There came up a man to meet us, and said to
us, Go, turn again to the king who sent you, and tell him, Thus says Yahweh,
Is it because there is no God in Israel, that you send to inquire of Baal
Zebub, the god of Ekron? therefore you shall not come down from the bed where
you are gone up, but shall surely die. 7 He said to them, What manner of
man was he who came up to meet you, and told you these words? 8 They
answered him, He was a hairy man, and girt with a belt of leather about his
loins. He said, It is Elijah the Tishbite. 9 Then the king sent to
him a captain of fifty with his fifty. He went up to him: and, behold, he was
sitting on the top of the hill. He spoke to him, man of God, the king has
said, Come down. 10 Elijah answered to the captain of fifty, If I be a man
of God, let fire come down from the sky, and consume you and your fifty. Fire
came down from the sky, and consumed him and his fifty. 11 Again he sent
to him another captain of fifty and his fifty. He answered him, man of God,
thus has the king said, Come down quickly. 12 Elijah answered them, If I
be a man of God, let fire come down from the sky, and consume you and your
fifty. The fire of God came down from the sky, and consumed him and his
fifty. 13 Again he sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. The
third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah,
and begged him, and said to him, man of God, please let my life, and the life
of these fifty your servants, be precious in your sight. 14 Behold, fire
came down from the sky, and consumed the two former captains of fifty with
their fifties; but now let my life be precious in your sight. 15 The angel
of Yahweh said to Elijah, Go down with him: don’t be afraid of him. He arose,
and went down with him to the king. 16 He said to him, Thus says Yahweh,
Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron,
is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word? therefore you
shall not come down from the bed where you are gone up, but shall surely die.
17 So he died according to the word of Yahweh which Elijah had spoken.
Jehoram began to reign in his place in the second year of Jehoram the son of
Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son. 18 Now the rest of the
acts of Ahaziah which he did, aren’t they written in the book of the
chronicles of the kings of Israel?
World English Bible - Public Domain |
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