2 Kings 1:1-8
New Living Translation
Elijah Confronts King Ahaziah
1 After King Ahab’s death, the land of Moab rebelled against Israel.
2 One day Israel’s new king, Ahaziah, fell through the latticework of an upper room at his palace in Samaria and was seriously injured. So he sent messengers to the temple of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether he would recover.
3 But the angel of the Lord told Elijah, who was from Tishbe, “Go and confront the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is there no God in Israel? Why are you going to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether the king will recover? 4 Now, therefore, this is what the Lord says: You will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.’” So Elijah went to deliver the message.
5 When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, “Why have you returned so soon?”
6 They replied, “A man came up to us and told us to go back to the king and give him this message. ‘This is what the Lord says: Is there no God in Israel? Why are you sending men to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether you will recover? Therefore, because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.’”
7 “What sort of man was he?” the king demanded. “What did he look like?”
8 They replied, “He was a hairy man,[a] and he wore a leather belt around his waist.”
“Elijah from Tishbe!” the king exclaimed.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1:8 Or He was wearing clothing made of hair.
2 Kings 1:1-8
International Standard Version
Elijah Rebukes King Ahaziah
1 Moab rebelled against Israel[a] after Ahab died. 2 Meanwhile, Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice in his upper room in Samaria and lay injured. He sent messengers to Ekron with these orders: “Go and consult with Ekron’s god Baal-zebub to find out[b] if I’m going to recover from this injury.”[c]
3 But the angel of the Lord spoke to Elijah the foreigner,[d] “Get up and go meet the messengers from the king of Samaria. Ask them ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you’re going to consult with Ekron’s god Baal-zebub? 4 Now therefore this is what the Lord says: “You won’t be getting up from that bed of yours on which you’re lying. You will most certainly die!”’” So Elijah got up and[e] went.
5 The messengers returned to the king and he asked them, “What’s this? You’ve come back?”
6 They replied, “We met a man who told us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you and ask him, “Is it because there is no God in Israel that you’re going to consult with Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you won’t be getting up from that bed on which you’re lying. You will most certainly die!”’”
7 He told them, “Describe the man who met you and told you these things.”
8 They answered, “The man was a hairy fellow. He wore a leather sash around his waist.”
The king[f] responded, “It’s Elijah, that foreigner!”[g]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Kings 1:1 Cf. 2Sam 8:2
- 2 Kings 1:2 The Heb. lacks and find out
- 2 Kings 1:2 Lit. sickness
- 2 Kings 1:3 Lit. Tishbite; or sojourner
- 2 Kings 1:4 The Heb. lacks got up and
- 2 Kings 1:8 Lit. He
- 2 Kings 1:8 Lit. Elijah the Tishbite; or Elijah, the sojourner
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