< 2 Kings 1 >

1 After the death of Ahab, Moab made itself free from the authority of Israel.
And Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Achaab.
2 Now Ahaziah had a fall from the window of his room in Samaria, and was ill. And he sent men, and said to them, Put a question to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, about the outcome of my disease, to see if I will get well or not.
And Ochozias fell through the lattice that was in his upper chamber in Samaria and was sick; and he sent messengers, and said to them, Go and enquire of Baal fly, the god of Accaron, whether I shall recover of this my sickness. And they went to enquire of him.
3 But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Go now, and, meeting the men sent by the king of Samaria, say to them, Is it because there is no God in Israel, that you are going to get directions from Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?
And an angel of the Lord called Eliu the Thesbite, saying, Arise, and go to meet the messengers of Ochozias king of Samaria, and thou shalt say to them, [Is it] because there is no God in Israel, [that] ye go to enquire of Baal fly, the God of Accaron? but [it shall] not [be] so.
4 Give ear then to the words of the Lord: You will never again get down from the bed on to which you have gone up, but death will certainly come to you. Then Elijah went away.
For thus saith the Lord, The bed on which thou art gone up, thou shalt not come down from it, for thou shalt surely die. And Eliu went, and said [so] to them.
5 And the men he had sent came back to the king; and he said to them, Why have you come back?
And the messengers returned to him, and he said to them, Why have ye returned?
6 And they said to him, On our way we had a meeting with a man who said, Go back to the king who sent you and say to him, The Lord says, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you send to put a question to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? For this reason, you will not come down from the bed on to which you have gone up, but death will certainly come to you.
And they said to him, A man came up to meet us, and said to us, Go, return to the king that sent you, and say to him, Thus saith the Lord, [Is it] because there is no God in Israel, [that] thou goest to enquire of Baal fly, the God of Accaron? [it shall] not [be] so: the bed on which thou art gone up, thou shalt not come down from it, for thou shalt surely die.
7 And he said to them, What sort of a man was it who came and said these words to you?
So they returned and reported to the king as Eliu said: and he said to them, What [was] the manner of the man who went up to meet you, and spoke to you these words?
8 And they said in answer, He was a man clothed in a coat of hair, with a leather band about his body. Then he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.
And they said to him, [He was] a hairy man, and girt with a leathern girdle about his loins. And he said, This is Eliu the Thesbite.
9 Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty men; and he went up to him where he was seated on the top of a hill, and said to him, O man of God, the king has said, Come down.
And he sent to him a captain of fifty and his fifty; and he went up to him: and, behold, Eliu sat on the top of a mountain. And the captain of fifty spoke to him, and said, O man of God, the king has called thee, come down.
10 And Elijah in answer said to the captain of fifty, If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven on you and on your fifty men, and put an end to you. Then fire came down from heaven and put an end to him and his fifty men.
And Eliu answered and said to the captain of fifty, And if I [am] a man of God, fire shall come down out of heaven, and devour thee and thy fifty. And fire came down out of heaven, and devoured him and his fifty.
11 Then the king sent another captain of fifty with his fifty men; and he said to Elijah, O man of God, the king says, Come down quickly.
And the king sent a second time to him another captain of fifty, and his fifty. And the captain of fifty spoke to him, and said, O man of God, thus says the king, Come down quickly.
12 And Elijah in answer said, If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven on you and on your fifty men, and put an end to you. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and put an end to him and his fifty men.
And Eliu answered and spoke to him, and said, If I [am] a man of God, fire shall come down out of heaven, and devour thee and thy fifty. And fire came down out of heaven, and devoured him and his fifty.
13 Then he sent a third captain of fifty with his fifty men; and the third captain of fifty went up, and falling on his knees before Elijah, requesting mercy of him, said, O man of God, let my life and the life of these your fifty servants be of value to you.
And the king sent yet again a captain and his fifty. And the third captain of fifty came, and knelt on his knees before Eliu, and entreated him, and spoke to him and said, O man of God, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thine eyes.
14 For fire came down from heaven and put an end to the first two captains of fifty and their fifties; but now let my life be of value in your eyes.
Behold, fire came down from heaven, and devoured the two first captains of fifty: and now, I pray, let my life be precious in thine eyes.
15 Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, Go down with him; have no fear of him. So he got up and went down with him to the king.
And the angel of the Lord spoke to Eliu, and said, Go down with him, be not afraid of them. And Eliu rose up, and went down with him to the king.
16 And he said to him, This is the word of the Lord: Because you sent men to put a question to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, for this reason you will never again get down from the bed on to which you have gone up, but death will certainly come to you.
And Eliu spoke to him, and said, Thus saith the Lord, Why hast thou sent messengers to enquire of Baal fly, the god of Accaron? [it shall] not [be] so: the bed on which thou art gone up, thou shalt not come down from it, for thou shalt surely die.
17 So death came to him, as the Lord had said by the mouth of Elijah. And Jehoram became king in his place in the second year of the rule of Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah; because he had no son.
So he died according to the word of the Lord which Eliu has spoken.
18 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah, are they not recorded in the book of the history of the kings of Israel?
And the rest of the acts of Ochozias which he did, behold, [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

< 2 Kings 1 >