2Kings 1

Elijah Confronts King Ahaziah

1After King Ahab's death, the land of Moab rebelled against Israel.H4124H6586H3478H310H4194H2562One 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.H274H5307H7639H5944H8111H2470H7971H4397H559H3212H1875H1176H430H6138H2421H24833But 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?H4397H3068H1696H452H8664H6965H5927H7125H4397H4428H8111H1696H430H3478H1980H1875H1176H430H61384Now, 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.H559H3068H3381H4296H5927H4191H4191H452H32125When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, "Why have you returned so soon?"H4397H7725H559H2088H77256They 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.'"H559H5927H376H5927H7125H559H3212H7725H4428H7971H1696H559H3068H430H3478H7971H1875H1176H430H6138H3381H4296H5927H4191H41917"What sort of man was he?" the king demanded. "What did he look like?"H1696H4941H376H5927H7125H1696H16978They replied, "He was a hairy man

, and he wore a leather belt around his waist." "Elijah from Tishbe!" the king exclaimed.H559H8181H1167H376H247H232H5785H4975H559H452H86649Then 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, "Man of God, the king has commanded you to come down with us."H4428H7971H8269H2572H2572H5927H3427H7218H2022H1696H376H430H4428H1696H338110But Elijah replied to the captain, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!" Then fire fell from heaven and killed them all.H452H6030H1696H8269H2572H376H430H784H3381H8064H398H2572H3381H784H8064H398H257211So the king sent another captain with fifty men. The captain said to him, "Man of God, the king demands that you come down at once."H7725H7971H312H8269H2572H2572H6030H1696H376H430H4428H559H3381H412012Elijah 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 of God fell from heaven and killed them all.H452H6030H1696H376H430H784H3381H8064H398H2572H784H430H3381H8064H398H257213Once more the king sent a third captain with fifty men. But this time the captain went up the hill and fell to his knees before Elijah. He pleaded with him, "O man of God, please spare my life and the lives of these, your fifty servants.H7971H7725H8269H7992H2572H2572H7992H8269H2572H5927H935H3766H1290H5048H452H2603H1696H376H430H5315H5315H2572H5650H3365H586914See how the fire from heaven came down and destroyed the first two groups. But now please spare my life!"H3381H784H3381H8064H398H8147H8269H7223H2572H2572H5315H3365H586915Then the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, "Go down with him, and don't be afraid of him." So Elijah got up and went with him to the king.H4397H3068H1696H452H3381H3372H6440H6965H3381H442816And Elijah said to the king, "This is what the LORD says: Why did you send messengers to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether you will recover? Is there no God in Israel to answer your question? Therefore, because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die."H1696H559H3068H7971H4397H1875H1176H430H6138H430H3478H1875H1697H3381H4296H5927H4191H419117So Ahaziah died, just as the LORD had promised through Elijah. Since Ahaziah did not have a son to succeed him, his brother Joram

became the next king. This took place in the second year of the reign of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.H4191H1697H3068H452H1696H3088H4427H8147H8141H3088H1121H3092H4428H3063H112118The rest of the events in Ahaziah's reign are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.H3499H1697H274H6213H3789H5612H1697H3117H4428H3478