2 Kings 1

1 And Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. 2 And Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and fell ill. So he sent messengers and said to them, “Go and inquire of Baal the Fly, the god of Ekron, whether I will live through this illness of mine.” And they went to ask of him. [a]

3 And a messenger of the Lord spoke to Elijah the Tishbite and said, “Get up, go to meet the messengers of Ahaziah king of Samaria, and say to them: ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal the Fly, the god of Ekron? [c] 4 And it shall not be so. For thus says the Lord: the bed you have gone up on — you will not come down from it, for there you will surely die.’” And Elijah went and spoke to them.

5 And the messengers came back to him, and he said to them, “Why is it that you have come back?” 6 And they said to him, “A man came up to meet us and said to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent you and say to him: Thus says the Lord — is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to seek out Baal the Fly, the god of Ekron? It shall not be so. The bed you have gone up on — you will not come down from it, for you will surely die.’” 7 And he spoke to them and said, “What was the manner of the man who came up to meet you and spoke these words to you?” [d] 8 And they said to him, “A hairy man, with a leather belt tied around his waist.” And he said, “That is Elijah the Tishbite.” [e]

9 And he sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty men. And the captain went up and came to him, and there was Elijah, sitting on the top of the mountain. And the captain of fifty spoke to him and said, “Man of God, the king has called you. Come down.” 10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, “And if I am a man of God, fire will come down from heaven and devour you and your fifty.” And fire came down from heaven and devoured him and his fifty. †

11 And the king sent to him again another captain of fifty with his fifty men. And he went up, and the captain of fifty spoke to him and said, “Man of God, thus says the king: come down quickly.” 12 And Elijah answered and spoke to him and said, “If I am a man of God, fire will come down from heaven and devour you and your fifty.” And fire came down from heaven and devoured him and his fifty.

13 And the king sent yet again a third captain of fifty with his fifty men. And the third captain of fifty came to him and bent down on his knees before Elijah and begged him, and spoke to him and said, “Man of God, let my life and the life of these fifty slaves of yours be precious in your eyes. 14 Look — fire came down from heaven and devoured the two captains of fifty who came before, and their fifties. And now let the life of these slaves of yours be precious in your eyes.” [f]

15 And the messenger of the Lord spoke to Elijah and said, “Go down with him. Do not be afraid of them.” And Elijah got up and went down with him to the king. 16 And he spoke to him, and Elijah said, “Thus says the Lord: why is it that you sent messengers to seek out Baal the Fly, the god of Ekron? It shall not be so. The bed you have gone up on — you will not come down from it, for you will surely die.” 17 And he died, according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken.

18 And the rest of the acts of Ahaziah, all that he did — see, are they not written in the book of the daily record of the kings of Israel? And Joram son of Ahab reigns over Israel in Samaria twelve years, in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. [g] 19 And he did what was evil before the Lord, only not as his brothers and not as his mother; 20 and he removed the pillars of Baal that his father had made, and broke them in pieces. Only, he clung to the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who caused Israel to sin; he did not depart from them. 21 And the Lord burned with anger against the house of Ahab. [h]