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2 Kings 1
The Voice
2 Kings 1
The Voice
1 After Ahab died, Moab grew rebellious and revolted against Israel.
2 One day, King Ahaziah had an accident in Israel’s capital city, Samaria. He tumbled through the network shading and decorating his upper room and fell ill. While he was bedridden, he called for his messengers and sent them on an errand to Philistia.
Ahaziah: Ask Baal-zebub, Ekron’s god, if my health is going to return after this injury.
3 Elsewhere, the Eternal One’s messenger spoke to Elijah the Tishbite.
Eternal One’s Messenger: Get up, and intercept Ahaziah’s messengers. When you meet them, ask them, “Why are you going to ask Baal-zebub, Ekron’s god, about the king’s healing? Do you carry this message because you believe Israel has no God of its own?” 4 This is the message of the Eternal to Ahaziah: “You have made your bed, and you will lie in it. You will never leave your bed in your upper room; it will become your grave.”
So Elijah went on his way just as the Lord instructed, and he delivered this message to Ahaziah’s messengers. 5 They turned back without completing their mission.
Ahaziah: Why are you back so soon?
Samaritan Messengers: 6 A strange man met us during our journey and said, “Go back to the king whose message you carry, and give him this message from the Eternal: ‘Why are you going to ask Baal-zebub, Ekron’s god, about healing? Do you ask for this message because you believe Israel has no God of its own? You have made your bed, and you will lie in it. You will never leave your bed in your upper room; it will become your grave.’”
Ahaziah: 7 Tell me more about this strange man who met you and gave you this message. What was he like?
Samaritan Messengers: 8 The man was hairy and wore a leather belt.
Ahaziah: I know who this man is—Elijah the Tishbite!
9 King Ahaziah then dispatched 50 soldiers and their commander to confront Elijah. The commander approached Elijah, who was resting on a hilltop.
Commander: Hello there, O man of God! The king has a message for you. He says, “Come down from there!”
Elijah: 10 If I truly am a man of God, then I’ll prove it: may a fiery blaze storm down from heaven and devour you and your 50 soldiers.
And as the words were leaving his mouth, fire rained down; and they were all burned up just as Elijah said.
11 Ahaziah then dispatched another 50 soldiers and their commander to confront Elijah.
Second Commander: O man of God! The king orders you, “Come down from there now!”
Elijah: 12 If I truly am a man of God, then as proof may a fiery blaze storm down from heaven and devour you and your 50 soldiers.
Once again a fiery blaze rained down from heaven and devoured the 50 soldiers and their commander.
13 Yet again, King Ahaziah dispatched another 50 soldiers and a third commander to confront Elijah. When this third commander approached Elijah, he bowed on his knees, humbled himself before Elijah, and begged for mercy upon their lives.
Third Commander: O man of God, I beg you to cherish my life and the lives of these 50 soldiers. May your eyes perceive something worth treasuring rather than destroying, for we are all at your service. 14 A heavenly fire devoured the first two commanders and their 50 men who confronted you, but please do not invoke the same fate for my life.
Eternal One’s Messenger (to Elijah): 15 Follow this man down the mountain, and do not fear him.
Elijah did as the messenger had instructed, and he followed the commander down the mountain to where the king was waiting.
Elijah (to Ahaziah): 16 This is the message of the Eternal: “You dispatched messengers to appeal to Baal-zebub, Ekron’s god, about your healing. Is it because you believe Israel has no God of its own to whom you can appeal? Because you did this, you will never leave your bed in your upper room; it will become your grave.”
17 Ahaziah met his death just as Elijah reported in the message from the Eternal. Ahaziah did not have a son, so Jehoram inherited the throne during the second year of the reign of Jehoram (Jehoshaphat’s son) in Judah.
In this record, the compiler constantly switches back and forth between Judah and Israel, telling the history of both simultaneously. Nowhere is that more confusing than here, when both nations’ kings have the same name. But the format serves two purposes: the reader gets a picture of what is happening in both regions at the same time, and the response of each nation to one event may be compared and contrasted. Who will prove to be the more faithful kingdom—the North or the South?
18 Is not the rest of Ahaziah’s story—his actions and lasting legacy—documented in the book of the chronicles of Israel’s kings?
2 Kings 1
New International Version
2 Kings 1
New International Version
The Lord’s Judgment on Ahaziah
1 After Ahab’s death, Moab(A) rebelled against Israel. 2 Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers,(B) saying to them, “Go and consult Baal-Zebub,(C) the god of Ekron,(D) to see if I will recover(E) from this injury.”
3 But the angel(F) of the Lord said to Elijah(G) the Tishbite, “Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel(H) that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?’ 4 Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘You will not leave(I) the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!’” So Elijah went.
5 When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, “Why have you come back?”
6 “A man came to meet us,” they replied. “And he said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, “This is what the Lord says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not leave(J) the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!”’”
7 The king asked them, “What kind of man was it who came to meet you and told you this?”
8 They replied, “He had a garment of hair[a](K) and had a leather belt around his waist.”
The king said, “That was Elijah the Tishbite.”
9 Then he sent(L) to Elijah a captain(M) with his company of fifty men. The captain went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, “Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down!’”
10 Elijah answered the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!” Then fire(N) fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men.
11 At this the king sent to Elijah another captain with his fifty men. The captain said to him, “Man of God, this is what the king says, ‘Come down at once!’”
12 “If I am a man of God,” Elijah replied, “may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!” Then the fire of God fell from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.
13 So the king sent a third captain with his fifty men. This third captain went up and fell on his knees before Elijah. “Man of God,” he begged, “please have respect for my life(O) and the lives of these fifty men, your servants! 14 See, fire has fallen from heaven and consumed the first two captains and all their men. But now have respect for my life!”
15 The angel(P) of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid(Q) of him.” So Elijah got up and went down with him to the king.
16 He told the king, “This is what the Lord says: Is it because there is no God in Israel for you to consult that you have sent messengers(R) to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Because you have done this, you will never leave(S) the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!” 17 So he died,(T) according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken.
Because Ahaziah had no son, Joram[b](U) succeeded him as king in the second year of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. 18 As for all the other events of Ahaziah’s reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 1:8 Or He was a hairy man
- 2 Kings 1:17 Hebrew Jehoram, a variant of Joram
The Voice (VOICE)
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