2 Kings 1

1After Ahab’s death, Moab rebelled against Israel.

2Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and became ill. So he sent messengers and told them, “Go, consult Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to find out whether I will recover from this illness.”

3But the angel of Yahweh said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Get up, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to consult Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?’

4Now therefore this is what Yahweh says: ‘You will not come down from the bed you have gone up on, for you will surely die.’” Then Elijah went on his way.

5The messengers returned to the king, and he asked them, “Why have you come back?”

6They said to him, “A man came up to meet us and said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, “This is what Yahweh says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to consult Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not come down from the bed you have gone up on, for you will surely die.”’”

7He asked them, “What was the man like who came up to meet you and told you these things?”

8They answered him, “He was a hairy man, with a leather belt tied around his waist.” He said, “It was Elijah the Tishbite.”

9Then the king sent a captain of fifty to him with his fifty men. The captain went up to Elijah, who was sitting on top of the hill, and said to him, “Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down!’”

10Elijah answered the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty!” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

11Again the king sent him another captain of fifty with his fifty. This one said to him, “Man of God, this is what the king says: ‘Come down at once!’”

12Elijah answered them, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty!” Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

13So the king sent a third captain of fifty with his fifty. The third captain of fifty went up, came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and begged him, “Man of God, please let my life and the lives of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight.

14Look, fire has come down from heaven and consumed the first two captains of fifty and their fifties. But now let my life be precious in your sight.”

15The angel of Yahweh said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So Elijah got up and went down with him to the king.

16He said to the king, “This is what Yahweh says: Because you sent messengers to consult Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel whose word you could consult?—therefore you will not come down from the bed you have gone up on, for you will surely die.”

17So Ahaziah died, according to the word of Yahweh that Elijah had spoken. Jehoram became king in his place in the second year of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, because Ahaziah had no son.

18As for the rest of the deeds of Ahaziah and what he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?