< 2 Kings 1 >

1 And Moab transgresseth against Israel after the death of Ahab,
After Ahab died, Moab rebelled against Israel.
2 and Ahaziah falleth through the lattice in his upper chamber that [is] in Samaria, and is sick, and sendeth messengers, and saith unto them, 'Go ye, inquire of Baal-Zebub god of Ekron if I recover from this sickness.'
Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice-work of his upper room in Samaria and had hurt himself badly. So he sent out messengers, telling them: “Go and ask Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will get better from this injury.”
3 And a messenger of Jehovah hath spoken unto Elijah the Tishbite, 'Rise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and speak unto them, Is it because there is not a God in Israel — ye are going to inquire of Baal Zebub god of Ekron?
But the angel of the Lord told Elijah the Tishbite, “Go and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there's no God in Israel that you're going to ask advice from Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?’
4 and therefore, thus said Jehovah, The bed whither thou hast gone up, thou dost not come down from it, for thou dost certainly die;' and Elijah goeth on.
So this is the Lord's answer: ‘You will not leave the bed on which you are lying. You're definitely going to die.’” And Elijah left.
5 And the messengers turn back unto him, and he saith unto them, 'What [is] this — ye have turned back!'
The messengers returned to the king, and he asked them, “Why have you come back?”
6 And they say unto him, 'A man hath come up to meet us, and saith unto us, Go, turn back unto the king who sent you, and ye have said unto him, Thus said Jehovah, Is it because there is not a God in Israel — thou art sending to inquire of Baal-Zebub god of Ekron? therefore, the bed whither thou hast gone up, thou dost not come down from it, for thou dost certainly die.'
“A man came and met us,” they replied. “He told us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you, and tell him, This is what the Lord says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to ask advice from Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? As a result you will not leave the bed on which you are lying. You're definitely going to die.’”
7 And he saith unto them, 'What [is] the fashion of the man who hath come up to meet you, and speaketh unto you these words?'
“What was he like, this man who met you and told you all this?” the king asked.
8 And they say unto him, 'A man — hairy, and a girdle of skin girt about his loins;' and he saith, 'He [is] Elijah the Tishbite.'
“He was a hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist,” they replied. “It's Elijah the Tishbite,” said the king.
9 And he sendeth unto him a head of fifty and his fifty, and he goeth up unto him (and lo, he is sitting on the top of the hill), and he speaketh unto him, 'O man of God, the king hath spoken, Come down.'
Then the king sent an army captain with fifty men to Elijah. The captain went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and told him, “Man of God, the king orders you, ‘Come down!’”
10 And Elijah answereth and speaketh unto the head of the fifty, 'And if I [am] a man of God, fire doth come down from the heavens, and consume thee and thy fifty;' and fire cometh down from the heavens, and consumeth him and his fifty.
Elijah replied to the captain, “If I am a man of God, then let fire fall from heaven and burn up you and your fifty men.” Fire fell from heaven and burned up the captain and his men.
11 And he turneth and sendeth unto him another head of fifty and his fifty, and he answereth and speaketh unto him, 'O man of God, thus said the king, Haste, come down.'
So the king sent another captain with his fifty men to Elijah. The captain said to Elijah, “Man of God, the king orders you, Come down immediately!”
12 And Elijah answereth and speaketh unto them, 'If I [am] a man of God, fire doth come down from the heavens, and consume thee and thy fifty;' and fire of God cometh down from the heavens, and consumeth him and his fifty.
Elijah replied to the captain, “If I am a man of God, then let fire fall from heaven and burn up you and your fifty men.” Fire fell from heaven and burned up the captain and his men.
13 And he turneth and sendeth a third head of fifty and his fifty, and the third head of fifty goeth up, and cometh in, and boweth on his knees over-against Elijah, and maketh supplication unto him, and speaketh unto him, 'O man of God, let be precious, I pray thee, my soul and the soul of thy servants — these fifty — in thine eyes.
So the king sent a third captain with his fifty men. The third captain went up, kneeled before Elijah, and pleaded with him, “Man of God, please value my life and the lives of these fifty men.
14 Lo, come down hath fire from the heavens, and consumeth the two heads of the former fifties and their fifties; and, now, let my soul be precious in thine eyes.'
Yes, fire has fallen from heaven and burned up the first two captains of fifty, along with all their men. But now please value my life!”
15 And a messenger of Jehovah speaketh unto Elijah, 'Go down with him, be not afraid of him;' and he riseth and goeth down with him unto the king,
Then the angel of the Lord told Elijah, “Go down with him. You don't have to be afraid of him.” So Elijah got up and went down with him to the king.
16 and speaketh unto him, 'Thus said Jehovah, Because that thou hast sent messengers to inquire of Baal-Zebub god of Ekron — is it because there is not a God in Israel to inquire of His word? therefore, the bed whither thou hast gone up — thou dost not come down from it, for thou dost certainly die.'
Elijah told the king, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Is it because there's no God in Israel for you to consult that you have sent messengers to ask advice of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? As a result you will not leave the bed on which you are lying. You're definitely going to die.”
17 And he dieth, according to the word of Jehovah that Elijah spake, and Jehoram reigneth in his stead, in the second year of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, for he had no son.
Ahaziah died just as the Lord had said through Elijah. Because he had no son, Joram succeeded him as king in the second year of the reign of Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.
18 And the rest of the matters of Ahaziah that he did, are they not written on the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel?
The rest of what happened in Ahaziah's reign and what he did are recorded in the Book of Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

< 2 Kings 1 >