Book of the Kings 1

The Death of Ahaziah
1	Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.
2	¶ And Ahazi’ah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Ba-al’–zebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease.
3	But the angel of the LORD said to Eli’jah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Ba-al’–zebub the god of Ekron?
4	Now therefore thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Eli’jah departed.
5	¶ And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye now turned back?
6	And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to inquire of Ba-al’–zebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
7	And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words?
8	And they answered him, He was a hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. Mt. 3.4 · Mk. 1.6 And he said, It is Eli’jah the Tishbite.
9	¶ Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of a hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down.
10	And Eli’jah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. Lk. 9.54 And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
11	¶ Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly.
12	And Eli’jah answered and said unto 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 he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Eli’jah, and besought him, and said unto 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 burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight.
15	And the angel of the LORD said unto Eli’jah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king.
16	And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to inquire of Ba-al’–zebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
17	¶ So he died according to the word of the LORD which Eli’jah had spoken. And Jeho’ram reigned in his stead, in the second year of Jeho’ram the son of Jehosh’aphat king of Judah; because he had no son.
18	Now the rest of the acts of Ahazi’ah which he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Published by The American Bible Society

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