2 Kings 1
Living Bible
1 After King Ahab’s death the nation of Moab declared its independence and refused to pay tribute to Israel any longer.
2 Israel’s new king, Ahaziah, had fallen off the upstairs porch of his palace at Samaria and was seriously injured. He sent messengers to the temple of the god Baal-zebub at Ekron to ask whether he would recover.
3 But the Angel of the Lord told Elijah the prophet,[a] “Go and meet the messengers and ask them, ‘Is it true that there is no God in Israel? Is that why you are going to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether the king will get well? 4-5 Because King Ahaziah has done this, the Lord says that he will never leave the bed he is lying on; he will surely die.’”
When Elijah told the messengers this, they returned immediately to the king.
“Why have you returned so soon?” he asked them.
6 “A man came up to us,” they said, “and told us to go back to the king and tell him, ‘The Lord wants to know why you are asking questions of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron. Is it because there is no God in Israel? Now, since you have done this, you will not leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.’”
7 “Who was this fellow?” the king demanded. “What did he look like?”
8 “He was a hairy man,” they replied, “with a wide leather belt.”
“It was Elijah the prophet!” the king exclaimed. 9 Then he sent an army captain with fifty soldiers to arrest him. They found him sitting on top of a hill. The captain said to him, “O man of God, the king has commanded you to come along with us.”
10 But Elijah replied, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!” Then lightning struck them and killed them all!
11 So the king sent another captain with fifty men to demand, “O man of God, the king says that you must come down right away.”
12 Elijah replied, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men.” And again the fire from God burned them up.
13 Once more the king sent fifty men, but this time the captain fell to his knees before Elijah and pleaded with him, “O man of God, please spare my life and the lives of these, your fifty servants. 14 Have mercy on us! Don’t destroy us as you did the others.”
15 Then the Angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Don’t be afraid. Go with him.” So Elijah went to the king.
16 “Why did you send messengers to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask about your sickness?” Elijah demanded. “Is it because there is no God in Israel to ask? Because you have done this, you shall not leave this bed; you will surely die.”
17 So Ahaziah died as the Lord had predicted through Elijah, and his brother Joram[b] became the new king—for Ahaziah did not have a son to succeed him. This occurred in the second year of the reign of King Jehoram (son of Jehoshaphat) of Judah. 18 The rest of the history of Ahaziah’s reign is recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 1:3 Elijah the prophet, literally, “Elijah the Tishbite.”
- 2 Kings 1:17 his brother Joram. “Jehoram” in Hebrew, a variant spelling of Joram.
2 Kings 1
English Standard Version
Elijah Denounces Ahaziah
1 (A)After the death of Ahab, Moab (B)rebelled against Israel.
2 Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and lay sick; so he sent messengers, telling them, “Go, inquire of (C)Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, (D)whether I shall recover from this sickness.” 3 But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah (E)the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of (F)Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? 4 Now therefore thus says the Lord, (G)You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’” So Elijah went.
5 The messengers returned to the king, and he said to them, “Why have you returned?” 6 And they said to him, “There came a man to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you, and say to him, Thus says the Lord, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of (H)Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’” 7 He said to them, “What kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things?” 8 They answered him, (I)“He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”
9 Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty men with his fifty. He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, (J)“O man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’” 10 But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, (K)let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
11 Again the king sent to him another captain of fifty men with his fifty. And he answered and said to him, “O man of God, this is the king's order, ‘Come down quickly!’” 12 But Elijah answered them, “If I am a man of God, (L)let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
13 Again the king sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up and came and fell on his knees before Elijah and entreated him, “O man of God, please let my life, and the life of these fifty servants of yours, (M)be precious in your sight. 14 Behold, fire came down from heaven and consumed the two former captains of fifty men with their fifties, but now let my life be precious in your sight.” 15 Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king 16 and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of (N)Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word?—therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’”
17 So he died according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken. Jehoram became king in his place (O)in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, because Ahaziah had no son. 18 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
4-я Царств 1
New Russian Translation
Пророк Илия и царь Охозия
1 После смерти Ахава Моав взбунтовался против Израиля. 2 Охозия же упал через решетку своей верхней комнаты в Самарии и покалечился. Он отправил посланцев, сказав им:
– Идите и спросите Баал-Зевува[a], бога Экрона, оправлюсь ли я от этих увечий.
3 Но Ангел Господень сказал Илии из Тишбы:
– Пойди навстречу посланцам царя Самарии и спроси их: «Разве в Израиле нет Бога, что вы идете спрашивать Баал-Зевува, бога Экрона?» 4 Итак, вот что говорит Господь: «Ты не встанешь с постели, на которую лег. Ты непременно умрешь!».
И Илия пошел.
5 Посланцы же вернулись к царю, и он спросил их:
– Почему вы вернулись?
6 – Нам навстречу вышел некий человек, – ответили они. – Он сказал нам: «Возвращайтесь к царю, который вас послал, и скажите ему: „Так говорит Господь: Разве в Израиле нет Бога, что ты посылаешь людей спрашивать Баал-Зевува, бога Экрона? Итак, ты не встанешь с постели, на которую лег. Ты непременно умрешь!“»
7 Царь спросил их:
– Как выглядел тот человек, который вышел вам навстречу и сказал это?
8 Они ответили:
– Он был одет в шкуры, с кожаным поясом на бедрах.
Царь сказал:
– Это Илия из Тишбы.
9 Он послал к Илии военачальника с пятьюдесятью воинами. Тот поднялся к Илии, который сидел на вершине холма, и сказал ему:
– Божий человек, царь говорит: «Спустись!»
10 Илия ответил начальнику над пятьюдесятью воинами:
– Если я Божий человек, пусть огонь сойдет с неба и пожрет тебя и твоих людей!
И огонь, сойдя с неба, пожрал его и пятьдесят его воинов. 11 Тогда царь послал к Илии другого пятидесятника с его людьми. Тот сказал Илии:
– Божий человек, так говорит царь: «Немедленно спустись!»
12 – Если я Божий человек, – ответил Илия, – пусть огонь сойдет с неба и пожрет тебя и твой пятидесяток!
И огонь Божий, сойдя с неба, пожрал его и его пятидесяток. 13 Тогда царь послал третьего пятидесятника с его людьми. Этот командир поднялся и пал на колени перед Илией.
– Божий человек, – взмолился он, – прошу, пощади мою жизнь и жизнь этих пятидесяти воинов, твоих слуг! 14 Ведь огонь, сошедший с небес, пожрал двух первых пятидесятников и их воинов. Пощади мою жизнь!
15 Ангел Господень сказал Илии:
– Спустись с ним, не бойся его.
Тогда Илия встал и спустился с ним к царю. 16 Он сказал царю:
– Так говорит Господь: «Разве в Израиле нет Бога, чтобы спрашивать Его? Ты отправлял посланцев спрашивать Баал-Зевува, бога Экрона! За это ты не встанешь с постели, на которую лег. Ты непременно умрешь!».
17 И он умер, по слову Господа, которое произнес Илия. Так как у Охозии не было сына, вместо него на втором году правления иудейского царя Иорама, сына Иосафата, воцарился его брат Иорам.
18 Что же до прочих событий правления Охозии и того, что он сделал, то разве не записаны они в «Книге летописей царей Израиля»?
Footnotes
- 1:2 Баал-Зевув – Иисус Христос отождествляет этого бога с самим сатаной, повелителем демонов (см. Мат. 10:25; 12:24-28).
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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Holy Bible, New Russian Translation (Новый Перевод на Русский Язык) Copyright © 2006 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.