< 2 Kings 1 >
1 And Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.
2 And 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 agent of Jehovah said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, Is it because there is no God in Israel that ye go to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?
4 Now therefore thus says Jehovah, Thou shall not come down from the bed where thou have gone up, but shall surely die. And Elijah departed.
5 And the messengers returned to him, and he said to them, Why is it that ye are returned?
6 And they said to him, There came up a man to meet us, and said to us, Go, turn again to the king that sent you, and say to him, Thus says Jehovah, Is it because there is no God in Israel that thou send to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore thou shall not come down from the bed where thou have gone up, but shall surely die.
7 And he said to them, What manner of man was he who came up to meet you, and told you these words?
8 And they answered him, He was a hairy man, and girt with a belt of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.
9 Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him, and, behold, he was sitting on the top of the hill. And he spoke to him, O man of God, the king has said, Come down.
10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
11 And again he sent to him another captain of fifty and his fifty. And he answered and said to him, O man of God, thus has the king said, Come down quickly.
12 And Elijah answered and said to them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
13 And again he sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said to him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight.
14 Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and consumed the two former captains of fifty with their fifties, but now let my life be precious in thy sight.
15 And the agent of Jehovah said to Elijah, Go down with him; do not be afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him to the king.
16 And he said to him, Thus says Jehovah, Inasmuch as thou 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 thou shall not come down from the bed where thou have gone up, but shall surely die.
17 So he died according to the word of Jehovah which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram began to reign in his stead 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, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
