The Second of Kings 1:1-18
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Elijah foretells Ahaziah’s death (1-18)
1 After the death of Aʹhab, Moʹab+ revolted against Israel.
2 It was then that A·ha·ziʹah fell down through the grating in his roof chamber in Sa·marʹi·a and was injured. So he sent messengers and said to them: “Go, inquire of Baʹal-zeʹbub the god of Ekʹron+ to find out whether I will recover from this injury.”+
3 But the angel of Jehovah said to E·liʹjah*+ the Tishʹbite: “Rise up, go to meet the messengers of the king of Sa·marʹi·a and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baʹal-zeʹbub the god of Ekʹron?+
4 Therefore this is what Jehovah says: “You will not leave the bed on which you are lying, for you will certainly die.” ’ ” With that E·liʹjah went off.
5 When the messengers returned to him, he immediately said to them: “Why have you come back?”
6 They replied to him: “There was a man who came up to meet us, and he said to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent you and tell him, “This is what Jehovah says: ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baʹal-zeʹbub the god of Ekʹron? Therefore, you will not leave the bed on which you are lying, for you will certainly die.’ ” ’ ”+
7 At this he asked them: “What did the man look like who came up to meet you and spoke these words to you?”
8 So they said to him: “He was a man with a garment of hair+ and a leather belt around his waist.”+ Immediately he said: “It was E·liʹjah the Tishʹbite.”
9 The king then sent to him a chief of 50 with his 50 men. When he went up to him, he was sitting on the top of the mountain. He said to him: “Man of the true God,+ the king says, ‘Come down.’ ”
10 But E·liʹjah answered the chief of the 50: “Well, if I am a man of God, let fire come down from the heavens+ and consume you and your 50 men.” And fire came down from the heavens and consumed him and his 50 men.
11 So the king sent again to him another chief of 50 with his 50 men. He went and said to him: “Man of the true God, this is what the king says, ‘Come down quickly.’ ”
12 But E·liʹjah answered them: “If I am a man of the true God, let fire come down from the heavens and consume you and your 50 men.” And fire of God came down from the heavens and consumed him and his 50 men.
13 Then the king sent again a third chief of 50 and his 50 men. But the third chief of 50 went up and bowed down on his knees in front of E·liʹjah and began to beg for favor and say to him: “Man of the true God, please, let my life and the lives of* these 50 servants of yours be precious in your eyes.
14 Fire has already come down from the heavens and consumed the two former chiefs of 50 and their groups of 50, but now let my life* be precious in your eyes.”
15 At that the angel of Jehovah told E·liʹjah: “Go down with him. Do not be afraid of him.” So he rose and went down with him to the king.
16 E·liʹjah then said to the king, “This is what Jehovah says: ‘You sent messengers to inquire of Baʹal-zeʹbub the god of Ekʹron.+ Is it because there is no God in Israel?+ Why did you not inquire of his word? Therefore, you will not leave the bed on which you are lying, for you will certainly die.’ ”
17 So he died, according to the word of Jehovah that E·liʹjah had spoken; and because he did not have a son, Je·hoʹram*+ became king in his place, in the second year of Je·hoʹram+ the son of Je·hoshʹa·phat the king of Judah.
18 As for the rest of the history of A·ha·ziʹah,+ what he did, is it not written in the book of the history of the times of the kings of Israel?
