1 Kings 12:33-13:10

New English Translation

A Prophet from Judah Visits Bethel

³³ On the fifteenth day of the eighth month (a date he had arbitrarily chosen)^[a] Jeroboam^[b] offered sacrifices on the altar he had made in Bethel. He inaugurated a festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to offer sacrifices. 13 ¹ Just then^[c] a prophet^[d] arrived from Judah with^[e] the Lord’s message for Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing near the altar ready to offer a sacrifice. ² He cried out against the altar with the Lord’s message, “O altar, altar! This is what the Lord has said, ‘Look, a son named Josiah will be born to the Davidic dynasty. He will sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who offer sacrifices on you. Human bones will be burned on you.’”^{[f] 3} That day he had also given a sign, saying, “This is the sign that the Lord has declared: The altar will split open and the ashes^[g] on it will pour out.” ⁴ When the king heard the prophet’s message that he had cried out against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam took his hand from the altar and pointed it^[h] saying, “Seize him!” Then the hand that he had pointed at him stiffened up,^[i] and he could not pull it back. ⁵ Meanwhile the altar split open, and the ashes^[j] poured from the altar in fulfillment of the sign the prophet had given with the Lord’s message. ⁶ The king responded to^[k] the prophet, “Seek the favor of^[l] the Lord your God and pray for me, so that my hand may be restored.” So the prophet sought the Lord’s favor and the king’s hand was restored as it was at first. ⁷ The king then said to the prophet, “Come home with me and have something to eat, so that I may give you a gift.”^{[m] 8} But the prophet said to the king, “Even if you were to give me half your possessions,^[n] I would not go with you. I am not allowed to eat food or drink water in this place. ⁹ For this is how I was commanded in the Lord’s message, ‘Eat no food. Drink no water. And do not return by the way you came.’” ¹⁰ So he started back on another road; he did not travel back on the same road he had taken to Bethel.