II Kings

After Ahab’s death, Moab rebelled against Israel.

Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber at Samaria and was injured. So he sent messengers, whom he instructed: “Go inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this injury.”

But an angel of GOD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go and confront the messengers of the king of Samaria and say to them, ‘Is there no God in Israel that you go to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?

Assuredly, thus said GOD: You shall not rise from the bed you are lying on,arise from the bed you are lying on Lit. “descend from the bed you have mounted.” but you shall die.’” And Elijah went.

The messengers returned to Ahaziah;bAhaziah Heb. “him.” and he asked, “Why have you come back?”

They answered him, “A man came toward us and said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you, and say to him: Thus said the ETERNAL: Is there no God in Israel that you must send to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Assuredly, you shall not rise from the bed you are lying on, but shall die.’”

“What sort of man was it,” he asked them, “who came toward you and said these things to you?”

“A hairy man,” they replied, “with a leather belt tied around his waist.” “That’s Elijah the Tishbite!” he said.

Then he sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty men. He climbed up to him, and found him sitting at the top of a hill. “Agent of God,” he said to him, “by order of the king, come down!”

Elijah replied to the captain of the fifty, “If I am an agent of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you with your fifty men!” And fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.

The king then sent to him another captain with his fifty men; and he addressed himcaddressed him Emendation yields “went up and said to him,” cf. v. 9. as follows: “Agent of God, by order of the king, come down at once!”

But Elijah answered him, “If I am an agent of God,dagent of God Heb. ’iyš ’elohiym. let fire come down from heaven and consume you with your fifty men!” And fire of Godefire of God Heb. ’eš ’elohiym. came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.

Then he sent a third captain of fifty with his fifty men. The third captain of fifty climbed to the top, knelt before Elijah, and implored him, saying, “Oh, agent of God, please have regard for my life and the lives of these fifty servants of yours!

Already fire has come from heaven and consumed the first two captains of fifty and their men;fmen Lit. “fifties.” I beg you, have regard for my life!”

Then the angel of GOD said to Elijah, “Go down with him, do not be afraid of him.” So he rose and went down with him to the king.

He said to him, “Thus said GOD: Because you sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron—as if there were no God in Israel whose word you could seek—assuredly, you shall not rise from the bed that you are lying on; but you shall die.”

And [Ahaziah] died, according to the word of GOD that Elijah had spoken. JehoramgJehoram Brother of Ahaziah. succeeded him as king, in the second year of King Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat of Judah, for he had no son.

The other events of Ahaziah’s reign [and] his actions are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Israel.