2 Kings 1:1-18
1 And Moʹab+ began to revolt+ against Israel after the death of Aʹhab.+
2 Then A·ha·ziʹah fell down+ through the grating in his roof chamber+ that was in Sa·marʹi·a and got sick. So he sent messengers and said to them: “Go, inquire+ of Baʹal-zeʹbub*+ the god* of Ekʹron+ whether I shall revive from this sickness.”+
3 As for the angel+ of Jehovah, he spoke to E·liʹjah* the Tishʹbite:+ “Rise up, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Sa·marʹi·a and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God+ at all in Israel that YOU are going to inquire of Baʹal-zeʹbub the god of Ekʹron?
4 So therefore this is what Jehovah has said: “As regards the couch upon which you have gone up, you will not come down off it, because you will positively die.”’”+ With that E·liʹjah went off.
5 When the messengers came back to him, he immediately said to them: “Why is it that YOU have come back?”
6 So they said to him: “There was a man that came up to meet us, and he proceeded to say to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent YOU, and YOU must speak to him: “This is what Jehovah has said,+ ‘Is it because there is no God at all in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baʹal-zeʹbub the god of Ekʹron? Therefore, as regards the couch upon which you have gone up, you will not come down off it, because you will positively die.’”’”+
7 At this he spoke to them: “What was the appearance of the man that came up to meet YOU and then spoke these words to YOU?”
8 So they said to him: “A man possessing a hair garment,*+ with a leather belt girded about his loins.”+ Immediately he said: “It was E·liʹjah the Tishʹbite.”
9 And he proceeded to send to him a chief* of fifty with his fifty.+ When he went up to him, there he was sitting upon the top of the mountain. He now spoke to him: “Man of the [true] God,*+ the king himself has spoken, ‘Do come down.’”
10 But E·liʹjah answered and spoke to the chief of the fifty: “Well, if I am a man of God,* let fire+ come down from the heavens and eat up you and your fifty.” And fire came descending from the heavens and went eating up him and his fifty.+
11 So he sent again to him another chief of fifty with his fifty.+ In turn he answered and spoke to him: “Man of the [true] God, this is what the king has said, ‘Do come down quickly.’”+
12 But E·liʹjah answered and spoke to them: “If I am a man of the [true] God, let fire come down from the heavens and eat up you and your fifty.” And fire of God came descending from the heavens and went eating up him and his fifty.
13 And he went sending again a third chief of fifty and his fifty.+ But the third chief of fifty went up and came and bent down upon his knees+ in front of E·liʹjah* and began to implore+ favor of him and speak to him: “Man of the [true] God, please let my soul+ and the soul of these fifty servants of yours be precious+ in your eyes.
14 Here fire came down from the heavens and went eating up+ the two former chiefs of fifty and their fifties, but now let my soul be precious in your eyes.”
15 At that the angel of Jehovah spoke to E·liʹjah: “Go down with him. Do not be afraid because of him.”+ So he rose and went down with him to the king.
16 Then he spoke to him: “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘For the reason that you have sent messengers+ to inquire of Baʹal-zeʹbub the god* of Ekʹron,+ is it because there is no God at all in Israel of whose word to inquire? Therefore as regards the couch upon which you have gone up, you will not come down off it, because you will positively die.’”
17 And he gradually died,+ according to the word+ of Jehovah that E·liʹjah had spoken; and Je·hoʹram*+ began to reign in place of him, in the second year of Je·hoʹram+ the son of Je·hoshʹa·phat the king of Judah, because he had not come to have a son.
18 As for the rest of A·ha·ziʹah’s+ things that he did, are they not written in the book+ of the affairs of the days of the kings of Israel?
Footnotes
^ “The god of.” Heb., ʼelo·hehʹ, pl. of ʼelohʹah, to denote excellence, applied to Baal-zebub. Compare Jg 16:23 ftn.
^ “Elijah.” Heb., ʼE·li·yahʹ, meaning “My God Is Jah”; LXXBagster(Gr.), E·li·ouʹ; Vgc(Lat.), E·liʹam. Compare vs 13 ftn.
^ Lit., “A man an owner [Heb., baʹʽal] of hair.”
^ “Man of the [true] God.” Heb., ʼish ha·ʼElo·himʹ. See App 1F.
^ “Chief of.” Heb., sar; Lat., prinʹci·pem.
^ “Man of God.” Heb., ʼish ʼElo·himʹ.
^ Meaning “My God Is Jehovah.” Heb., ʼE·li·yaʹhu, as in the rest of the account through 10:17 and in 2Ch 21:12.
^ “The god of.” Heb., ʼelo·hehʹ. See vs 2 ftn, “God.”
^ Meaning “Jehovah Is High (Exalted).” Heb., Yehoh·ramʹ; LXXLSyVg, “Jehoram his brother.”
