1 Kings 13
Modern English Version
The Man of God From Judah
13 A man of God came out of Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord while Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. 2 He cried against the altar by the word of the Lord and said, “O altar, altar, thus says the Lord: ‘A child named Josiah will be born in the house of David, and he will sacrifice upon you the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and these men’s bones shall be burned upon you.’ ” 3 He gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign that the Lord has spoken: ‘The altar will be torn apart, and the ashes that are upon it will be poured out.’ ”
4 When King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God who had cried against the altar in Bethel, he reached out his hand from the altar, saying, “Arrest him!” And the hand that he put forth against him dried up so that he could not pull it back in again. 5 The altar also was torn, and the ashes poured out from the altar, just as the man of God had said it would as a sign of the Lord.
6 The king answered and said to the man of God, “Seek the face of the Lord your God, and pray for me, that my hand will be healed.” And the man of God interceded with the Lord, and the king’s hand was healed and became as it was before.
7 The king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.”
8 The man of God said to the king, “If you were to give me half your house, I would not go with you, nor will I eat bread nor drink water in this place, 9 for so I was commanded by the word of the Lord, saying: You shall eat no bread, nor drink water nor return by the same way that you came.” 10 So he went another way and did not return by the same way he came to Bethel.
11 Now there lived an old prophet in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told their father the words that he had spoken to the king. 12 Their father said to them, “What way did he go?” For his sons had seen the way the man of God who came from Judah had gone. 13 He said to his sons, “Saddle my donkey.” So they saddled the donkey for him, and he rode on it. 14 He went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak, and he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”
And he said, “I am.”
15 Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.”
16 He said, “I may not return with you or go in with you, nor will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place, 17 for I was commanded by the word of the Lord: You shall eat no bread and drink no water there nor return by the way you came.”
18 He said to him, “I am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you into your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.’ ” But he had lied to him. 19 So he went back with him to his house and ate bread and drank water.
20 Then as they sat at the table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet who brought him back, 21 and he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says the Lord: Since you have disobeyed the mouth of the Lord and have not kept the commandment that the Lord your God commanded you, 22 but instead came back and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which the Lord told you to eat no bread and drink no water, your carcass will not be buried in the tomb of your fathers!”
23 After he had eaten bread and had drunk, he saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back. 24 As he was going, a lion met him on the way and killed him, and his body was thrown in the road, and both the donkey and lion stood by it. 25 Some men passed by and saw the body thrown in the road with the lion standing by the body, and they came and told the story in the city where the old prophet lived.
26 When the prophet who brought him back from the way heard about it, he said, “It is the man of God who was disobedient to the word of the Lord, and thus the Lord has delivered him to the lion, which has torn and slain him, according to the word of the Lord that He spoke to him.”
27 He said to his sons, “Saddle my donkey,” and they saddled it. 28 He then went and found his body thrown in the road, and the donkey and the lion were still standing by the body. The lion had not eaten the body nor attacked the donkey. 29 The prophet picked up the body of the man of God and laid it on his donkey and brought it back. The old prophet came to the city to mourn and to bury him. 30 He laid his body in his own tomb, and they mourned over him, saying, “Alas, my brother!”
31 And after he had buried him, he said to his sons, “When I am dead, bury me in the grave in which the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones. 32 For the saying that he cried out by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel and against all the houses of the high places that are in the cities of Samaria shall surely come to pass.”
33 After this event Jeroboam did not turn from his evil ways, but made priests for the high places again from among all the people. Any who would, he consecrated to be priests of the high places. 34 This matter became sin to the house of Jeroboam, so as to cut it off and to destroy it from the face of the earth.
1 Kings 13
21st Century King James Version
13 And behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Bethel; and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.
2 And this man cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said, “O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord: ‘Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places who burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burned upon thee.’”
3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the Lord hath spoken: Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.”
4 And it came to pass, when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God who had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, “Lay hold on him!” And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in back to him.
5 The altar also was rent and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.
6 And the king answered and said unto the man of God, “Entreat now the face of the Lord thy God and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me again.” And the man of God besought the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored to him again, and became as it was before.
7 And the king said unto the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.”
8 And the man of God said unto the king, “If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place.
9 For so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.’”
10 So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.
11 Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel; the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.
12 And their father said unto them, “What way went he?” For his sons had seen which way the man of God went who came from Judah.
13 And he said unto his sons, “Saddle me the ass.” So they saddled him the ass; and he rode thereon,
14 and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. And he said unto him, “Art thou the man of God who camest from Judah?” And he said, “I am.”
15 Then he said unto him, “Come home with me and eat bread.”
16 And he said, “I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee; neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place.
17 For it was said to me by the word of the Lord: ‘Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn back to go by the way that thou camest.’”
18 He said unto him, “I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spoke unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’” But he lied unto him.
19 So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water.
20 And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet who brought him back;
21 and he cried unto the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus saith the Lord: ‘Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee,
22 but camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which the Lord said to thee, “Eat no bread, and drink no water,” thy carcass shall not come unto the sepulcher of thy fathers.’”
23 And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back.
24 And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way and slew him; and his carcass was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it; the lion also stood by the carcass.
25 And behold, men passed by and saw the carcass cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcass; and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.
26 And when the prophet who brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, “It is the man of God who was disobedient unto the word of the Lord. Therefore the Lord hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him and slain him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke unto him.”
27 And he spoke to his sons, saying, “Saddle me the ass.” And they saddled him.
28 And he went and found his carcass cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcass. The lion had not eaten the carcass nor torn the ass.
29 And the prophet took up the carcass of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass and brought it back; and the old prophet came to the city to mourn and to bury him.
30 And he laid his carcass in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, “Alas, my brother!”
31 And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying, “When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulcher wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones.
32 For the saying which he cried by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.”
33 After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again from the lowest of the people priests for the high places; whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places.
34 And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
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