Death of the Man of God

11 Now an (A)old prophet dwelt in Bethel, and his [a]sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel; they also told their father the words which he had spoken to the king. 12 And their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” For his sons [b]had seen which way the man of God went who came from Judah. 13 Then he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him; and he rode on it, 14 and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. Then 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 And he said, (B)“I cannot return with you nor go in with you; neither can I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place. 17 For [c]I have been told (C)by the word of the Lord, ‘You shall not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you came.’ ”

18 He said to him, “I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’ ” (He was lying to him.)

19 So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water.

20 Now it happened, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back; 21 and he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord, and have not kept the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you, 22 but you came back, ate bread, and drank water in the (D)place of which the Lord said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,” your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’ ”

23 So it was, after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, the prophet whom he had brought back. 24 When he was gone, (E)a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his corpse was thrown on the road, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the corpse. 25 And there, men passed by and saw the corpse thrown on the road, and the lion standing by the corpse. Then they went and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.

26 Now when the prophet who had brought him back from the way heard it, he said, “It is the man of God who was disobedient to the word of the Lord. Therefore the Lord has delivered him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to him.” 27 And he spoke to his sons, saying, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled it. 28 Then he went and found his corpse thrown on the road, and the donkey and the lion standing by the corpse. The lion had not eaten the corpse nor torn the donkey. 29 And the prophet took up the corpse of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back. So the old prophet came to the city to mourn, and to bury him. 30 Then he laid the corpse in his own tomb; and they mourned over him, saying, (F)“Alas, my brother!” 31 So it was, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying, “When I am dead, then bury me in the tomb where the man of God is buried; (G)lay my bones beside his bones. 32 (H)For the [d]saying which he cried out by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel, and against all the [e]shrines on the high places which are in the cities of (I)Samaria, will surely come to pass.”

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 13:11 Lit. son
  2. 1 Kings 13:12 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. showed him
  3. 1 Kings 13:17 Lit. a command came to me by
  4. 1 Kings 13:32 Lit. word
  5. 1 Kings 13:32 Lit. houses

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.”

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