[1] Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. [2] 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
angel of Yahweh said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the
messengers of the king of Samaria, and tell them, Is it because there is no
God in Israel, that you go to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? [4]
Now therefore thus says Yahweh, You shall not come down from the bed where
you are gone up, but shall surely die. Elijah departed. [5] The messengers
returned to him, and he said to them, Why is it that you have returned? [6]
They said to him, There came up a man to meet us, and said to us, Go, turn
again to the king who sent you, and tell him, Thus says Yahweh, Is it
because there is no God in Israel, that you send to inquire of Baal-zebub,
the god of Ekron? therefore you shall not come down from the bed where you
are gone up, but shall surely die. [7] He said to them, What manner of man
was he who came up to meet you, and told you these words? [8] They answered
him, He was a hairy man, and girt with a belt of leather about his loins.
He said, It is Elijah the Tishbite. [9] Then [the king] sent to him a
captain of fifty with his fifty. He went up to him: and, behold, he was
sitting on the top of the hill. He spoke to him, man of God, the king has
said, Come down. [10] Elijah answered to the captain of fifty, If I be a
man of God, let fire come down from the sky, and consume you and your
fifty. Fire came down from the sky, and consumed him and his fifty. [11]
Again he sent to him another captain of fifty and his fifty. He answered
him, man of God, thus has the king said, Come down quickly. [12] Elijah
answered them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from the sky, and
consume you and your fifty. The fire of God came down from the sky, and
consumed him and his fifty. [13] Again he sent the captain of a third fifty
with his fifty. The third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on
his knees before Elijah, and begged him, and said to him, man of God,
please let my life, and the life of these fifty your servants, be precious
in your sight. [14] Behold, fire came down from the sky, and consumed the
two former captains of fifty with their fifties; but now let my life be
precious in your sight. [15] The angel of Yahweh said to Elijah, Go down
with him: don`t be afraid of him. He arose, and went down with him to the
king. [16] He said to him, Thus says Yahweh, Because you 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 you shall not come
down from the bed where you are gone up, but shall surely die. [17] So he
died according to the word of Yahweh which Elijah had spoken. Jehoram began
to reign in his place 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, aren`t they written in the book of the chronicles of
the kings of Israel?
