The Lord Proclaims Judgment

^9 (A)Then the Lord put out his hand and ^(B)touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,

^29 (A)Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and ^(B)like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?

⁵ And if anyone would harm them, ^(A)fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, ^(B)this is how he is doomed to be killed. ⁶ They have the power ^(C)to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and ^(D)to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire.

^6 (A)But my words and my statutes, which I commanded ^(B)my servants the prophets, did they not ^(C)overtake your fathers? So they repented and said, ^(D)‘As the Lord of hosts purposed to deal with us for ^(E)our ways and ^(F)deeds, so has he dealt with us.’”

¹⁰ But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, ^(A)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, ^(B)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, ^(C)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 And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah, ^(A)the Lord has not sent you, ^(B)and you have made this people trust in a lie. ¹⁶ Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will remove you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, ^(C)because you have uttered rebellion against the Lord.’”

¹⁷ In that same year, in the seventh month, the prophet Hananiah died.