1 Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. ² Ahaziah fell down through the lattice in his upper room that was in Samaria, and was sick. So he sent messengers, and said to them, “Go, inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover of this sickness.”

³ But Yahweh’s^[a] angel said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and tell them, ‘Is it because there is no God^[b] in Israel, that you go to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron? ⁴ Now therefore Yahweh says, “You will not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but you will surely die.”’” Then Elijah departed.

⁵ The messengers returned to him, and he said to them, “Why is it that you have returned?”

⁶ They said to him, “A man came up to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent you, and tell him, “Yahweh says, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel, that you send to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but you will surely die.’”’”

⁷ He said to them, “What kind of man was he who came up to meet you, and told you these words?”

⁸ They answered him, “He was a hairy man, and wearing a leather belt around his waist.”

He said, “It’s Elijah the Tishbite.”