2 Kings 1
1 Forsothe Moab trespasside ayens Israel, after that Achab was deed.
After King Ahab died, [the country of] Moab rebelled against Israel.
2 And Ocozie felde thorou the aleris of his soler, which he hadde in Samarie, and was sijk; and he sente messangeris, and seide to hem, Go ye, and councele Belzebub, god of Acharon, whether Y may lyue after this sijknesse of me.
One day, Ahaziah, [the new king of Israel, ] fell through the wooden slats/boards around the edge of the flat roof [of his palace] in Samaria. He was badly injured, so he summoned some messengers and told them, “Go to Ekron [city in Philistia], and ask their god Baalzebub whether I will (recover/become well).”
3 Forsothe the aungel of the Lord spak to Elye of Thesbi, and seide, Rise thou, and go doun into the metynge of the messangeris of the kyng of Samarie; and thou schalt seie to hem, Whether God is not in Israel, that ye go to counsel Belzebub, god of Acharon?
But an angel from Yahweh said to Elijah, the prophet from Tishbe [town], “The king of Samaria [is sending] some messengers [to Ekron]. Go and meet them and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to Ekron to ask Baalzebub, the god of those people, [whether you will recover]?
4 For which thing the Lord seith these thingis, Thou schalt not go doun of the bed, on which thou stiedist.
Yahweh says [that you should tell King Ahaziah] that he will not recover from his being injured; he will surely die.’”
5 And Elie yede. And the messangeris turneden ayen to Ocozie. And he seide to hem, Whi turneden ye ayen?
[So Elijah went to meet] the messengers [and told that to them, and they] returned to the king [instead of going to Ekron]. The king asked them, “Why did you return [so soon]?”
6 And thei answeriden to hym, A man mette vs, and seide to vs, Go ye, turne ye ayen to the kyng, that sente you; and ye schulen seie to him, The Lord seith these thingis, Whether for God was not in Israel, thou sendist, that Belzebub, god of Acharon, be counselid? Therfor thou schalt not go doun of the bed, on which thou stiedist, but thou schalt die bi deeth.
They replied, “A man came to meet us, and said to us, ‘Return to the king who sent you and tell him that Yahweh says, “(Is it because there no God in Israel that you are sending [messengers] to Ekron to consult Baalzebub, their god?/You seem to think there is no God in Israel, with the result that you are sending [messengers] to Ekron to ask Baalzebub, their god, [whether you will recover].) [RHQ] [Go tell the king that] he will not recover from being injured; instead, he will surely die.”’”
7 Which Ocozie seide to hem, Of what figure and abite is that man, that mette you, and spak to you these wordis?
The king said to them, “The man who came to meet you and told that to you, what did he look like?”
8 And thei seiden, An heeri man, and gird with a girdil of skyn in the reynes. Which seide to hem, It is Elie of Thesbi.
They replied, “He was a hairy man and he had a [wide] leather belt around his waist.” The king exclaimed, “That was Elijah!”
9 And he sente to Elie a prince of fifti, and fifti men that weren vndur hym. Which prince stiede to hym, and seide to hym, sittynge in the cop of the hil, Man of God, the kyng comaundith, that thou come doun.
Then the king sent an officer with 50 soldiers to seize Elijah. They found Elijah sitting on the top of a hill. The officer called out to him, “Prophet, the king commands that you come down here!”
10 And Elie answeride, and seide to the prince of fifti men, If Y am the man of God, fier come doun fro heuene, and deuoure thee and thi fifti men. Therfor fier cam doun fro heuene, and deuouride hym, and the fifti men that weren with hym.
But Elijah replied, “I am a prophet; so, I command that fire come down from the sky and burn up you and your 50 soldiers!” Immediately, fire came down from the sky and completely burned up the officer and his 50 [soldiers].
11 Eft he sente to Elie another prince of fifti, and fifti men with hym, which spak to Helye, Man of God, the kyng seith these thingis, Haste thou, come thou doun.
[When the king found out about that, ] he sent another officer with 50 more soldiers. They went [to where Elijah was], and the officer called out to him, “Prophet, the king commands that you come down immediately!”
12 Elie answeride, and seide, If Y am the man of God, fier come doun fro heuene, and deuoure thee and thi fifti men. Therfor the fier of God cam doun fro heuene, and deuouride hym and hise fifti men.
But Elijah replied, “I am a prophet; [to prove that, ] I command that fire come down from the sky and kill you and your soldiers!” Then a fire from God came down from the sky and killed the officer and his soldiers.
13 Eft he sente the thridde prince of fifti men, and fifti men that weren with hym. And whanne this prynce hadde come, he bowide the knees ayens Elie, and preiede hym, and seide, Man of God, nyle thou dispise my lijf, and the lyues of thi seruauntis that ben with me.
[When the king heard about that] he sent another officer with 50 more soldiers. [They went to where Elijah was], and the officer prostrated himself in front of Elijah, and said to him, “Prophet, I plead with you, be kind to me and my 50 soldiers, and (do not kill us/allow us to remain alive)!
14 Lo! fier cam doun fro heuene, and deuouride tweyne, the firste princis of fifti men, and the fifti men that weren with hem; but now, Y biseche, that thou haue mercy on my lijf.
[We know that] two times fire came down from the sky and killed officers and the 50 soldiers who were with them. So now, please be kind to me!”
15 Forsothe the aungel of the Lord spak to Helie of Thesbi, and seide, Go thou doun with hym; drede thou not. Therfor Elie roos, and cam doun with hym to the kyng;
Then the angel from Yahweh said to Elijah, “Go down [and go] with him. Do not be afraid of him.” So Elijah went with them to the king.
16 and he spak to the kyng, The Lord seith thes thingis, For thou sentist messangeris to counsele Belzebub, god of Acharon, as if no God were in Israel, of whom thow myytist axe a word; therfor thou schalt not go doun of the bed, on which thou stiedist, but thou schalt die bi deeth.
[When Elijah arrived, ] he said to the king, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘You sent messengers to go to Ekron to ask Baalzebub, their god, [whether you would recover]. You acted as though [RHQ] there is no God in Israel to consult. So you will not recover from being injured; instead, you are going to die!’”
17 Therfor he was deed bi the word of the Lord, which word Elie spak; and Joram, hys brothir, regnyde for hym, in the secounde yeer of Joram, the sone of Josephat, kyng of Juda; for Ocozie hadde no sone.
So Ahaziah died, which is what Yahweh told Elijah would happen. Ahaziah’s [younger] brother Joram became the new king, when Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, had been ruling Judah for almost two years. Ahaziah’s brother became the king because Ahaziah had no son [to become the king].
18 Sotheli the residue of wordis of Ocozie, whiche he wrouyte, whether these ben not writun in the book of wordis of daies of the kyngis of Israel?
[If you want to know about] all the other things that Ahaziah did, they are [RHQ] written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Israel’.
