 1 Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. 2 Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper room in Samaria, and was sick. He sent messengers and said to them, Go, ask of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I will recover of this disease. 3 But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise. Go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and say to them, Is it not because no God is in Israel that you go to ask of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? 4 Therefore thus says the Lord, You will not come from that bed on which you have gone up, but will surely die. And Elijah left. 5 The messengers turned back to him. And he said, Why have you now turned back? 6 They said to him, A man came up to meet us and said to us, Go, turn again to the king who sent you, and say to him, Thus says the Lord, Is it not because no God is in Israel that you go to ask of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? Therefore, you will not come down from that bed on which you have gone up, but will surely die. 7 He said to them, What kind of man was he who came up to meet you and told you these words? 8 They answered him, He was a hairy man and was bound with a belt+ of leather around his waist+. He said, He is Elijah the Tishbite. 9 He sent a commander of 50 with his 50 to him and he sat on the top of a hill and he spoke to him, Man of God. The king has said, Come down. 10 Elijah said to the commander of 50, If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from the heavens and burn up you and your 50. Then fire came down from the heavens and burned him up and his 50. 11 Then he turned and sent another commander of 50 with his 50. And he said to him, Man of God. Thus says the king, Come down quickly. 12 Elijah said to him, If I am a man of God, let fire come down from the heavens and burn up you and your 50. And the fire of God came down from the heavens and burned up him and his 50. 13 He turned and sent again a third commander of 50 and his 50. And the third commander of 50 came up and fell on his knees before Elijah, and begged him, and said to him, Man of God, Please let my life and the life of these 50, your servants, be precious in your sight. 14 Behold, fire has come down from the heavens and burned up the two commanders of the former fifties with their fifties. Now let my life be precious in your sight. 15 The angel of the Lord said to Elijah, Go down with him. Do not be afraid of him. And he arose and went down with him to the king. 16 He said to him, Thus says the Lord, Because you have sent messengers to ask of Baalzebub the god of Ekron, Is it not because no God is in Israel to seek His word? Therefore you will not come down off that bed on which you have gone up, but will surely die. 17 He died according to the Word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram reigned in his place, in the second year of Jehoram the son of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, because he had no son. 18 The rest of the acts of Ahaziah that he did are written in the matters of the days of the kings of Israel.
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