2 Kings 1

Elijah and King Ahaziah of Israel

1 After Ahab died, Moab rebelled against Israel.

2 During the rebellion King Ahaziah fell through a window lattice in his upstairs room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers to Ekron. He had told them, “Go ask Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, if I will recover from this injury.”
3 Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah from Tishbe, “Meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and ask them, ‘Do you seek advice from Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, because you think there is no God in Israel?

4 This is what the Lord says: You will not get up from the bed you are lying on. Instead, you will die there.’ ” Then Elijah left.
5 When the messengers returned, the king asked them, “Why have you come back so soon?”6 They told him that a man came to meet them and said to them, “Go back to the king who sent you. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do you send messengers to seek advice from Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, because you think there is no God in Israel? You will not get up from the bed you are lying on. Instead, you will die there.’ ”7 The king asked them, “What was the man who told you this like?”8 They replied, “He was hairy and had a leather belt around his waist.”“That’s Elijah from Tishbe,” the king answered.9 The king sent an army officer with 50 men to Elijah. When the officer found Elijah sitting on top of a hill, he told Elijah, “Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’ ”10 Elijah answered the officer, “If I’m a man of God, fire will come from heaven and burn up you and your 50 men.” Then fire came from heaven and burned up the officer and his 50 men.11 The king sent another officer with 50 men to Elijah. The officer said, “Man of God, this is what the king says: Come here right away!”12 Elijah answered the officer, “If I’m a man of God, fire will come from heaven and burn up you and your 50 men.” Then God’s fire came from heaven and burned up the officer and his 50 men.13 The king sent a third officer with 50 men. The officer of the third group went up the hill and knelt in front of Elijah. The officer begged him, “Man of God, please treat my life and the lives of these 50 servants of yours as something precious.

14 Fire has come from heaven and burned up the first two officers and their 100 men. But treat my life as something precious.”
15 The angel of the Lord told Elijah, “Go with him. Don’t be afraid of him.” So Elijah got up and went with him to the king.

16 Elijah told the king, “This is what the Lord says: You sent messengers to seek advice from Baalzebub, the god of Ekron. Is this because you think there is no God in Israel whose word you can seek? You will not get up from the bed you are lying on. Instead, you will die there.”
17 So Ahaziah died as the Lord had predicted through Elijah. Joram succeeded him as king because Ahaziah had no son.t

18 Isn’t everything else about Ahaziah—the things he did—written in the official records of the kings of Israel?

2 Kings 1

Elijah Confronts the King and His Commanders

1 After Ahab died, Moab rebelled against Israel.s

2 Ahaziah fell through a window lattice in his upper chamber in Samarias and was injured. He sent messengers with these orders,t “Go, askt Baal Zebub,s the god of Ekron, if I will survive this injury.”
3 But the Lord’s angelic messenger told Elijah the Tishbite, “Get up, go to meet the messengers from the king of Samaria. Say this to them: ‘You must think there is no God in Israel! That explains why you are on your way to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub the god of Ekron.t

4 Therefore this is what the Lord says, “You will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die!”’” So Elijah went on his way.
5 When the messengers returned to the king,ts he asked them, “Why have you returned?”6 They replied,t “A man came up to meet us. He told us, “Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “You must think there is no God in Israel! That explains why you are sending for an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron.t Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.”’”7 The kingt asked them, “Describe the appearancet of this man who came up to meet you and told you these things.”

8 They replied,t “He was a hairy mant and had a leather beltt tied around his waist.” The kingt said, “He is Elijah the Tishbite.”
9 The kingt sent a captain and his fifty soldierst to retrieve Elijah.t The captaint went up to him, while he was sitting on the top of a hill.s He told him, “Prophet,t the king says, ‘Come down!’”

10 Elijah replied to the captain,t “If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!” Fire then came downt from the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers.
11 The kingt sent another captain and his fifty soldiers to retrieve Elijah. He went up and told him,s “Prophet, this is what the king says, ‘Come down at once!’”s

12 Elijah replied to them,s “If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!” Fire from Godt came down from the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers.
13 The kingt sent a third captain and his fifty soldiers. This third captain went up and fellt on his knees before Elijah. He begged for mercy, “Prophet, please have respect for my life and for the lives of these fifty servants of yours.14 Indeed,t fire came down from the sky and consumed the two captains who came before me, along with their men.t So now, please have respect for my life.”

15 The Lord’s angelic messenger said to Elijah, “Go down with him. Don’t be afraid of him.” So he got up and went downs with him to the king.

16 Elijaht said to the king,t “This is what the Lord says, ‘You sent messengers to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron. You must think there is no God in Israel from whom you can seek an oracle!t Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.’”s
17 He died just as the Lord had prophesied through Elijah.t In the second year of the reign of King Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat over Judah, Ahaziah’s brother Jehoram replaced him as king of Israel, because he had no son.t

18 The rest of the events of Ahaziah’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.t