¹¹ At this the king sent to Elijah another captain with his fifty men. The captain said to him, “Man of God, this is what the king says, ‘Come down at once!’”

¹² “If I am a man of God,” Elijah replied, “may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!” Then the fire of God fell from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.

¹³ So the king sent a third captain with his fifty men. This third captain went up and fell on his knees before Elijah. “Man of God,” he begged, “please have respect for my life^(A) and the lives of these fifty men, your servants! ¹⁴ See, fire has fallen from heaven and consumed the first two captains and all their men. But now have respect for my life!”

¹⁵ The angel^(B) of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid^(C) of him.” So Elijah got up and went down with him to the king.

¹⁶ He told the king, “This is what the Lord says: Is it because there is no God in Israel for you to consult that you have sent messengers^(D) to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Because you have done this, you will never leave^(E) the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!” ¹⁷ So he died,^(F) according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken.

Because Ahaziah had no son, Joram^[a](G) succeeded him as king in the second year of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. ¹⁸ As for all the other events of Ahaziah’s reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?

¹² Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots^(A) and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore^(B) it in two.

The Levites

23 When David was old and full of years, he made his son Solomon^(A) king over Israel.^(B)

Wisdom Is Meaningless

¹² I, the Teacher,^(A) was king over Israel in Jerusalem.^(B)