⁶ 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 sending ^(A)to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore ^[a]you shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but shall surely die.’”’”

¹⁶ Then he said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have sent messengers ^(A)to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word?—therefore ^[a]you shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but shall surely die.’”