II Kings 1

1. Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.

2. And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper room in Samaria, and was sick. And he sent messengers and said to them, “Go, ask of Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron whether I shall 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 because there is no God in Israel that you go to ask of Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron?’

4. And therefore thus says the LORD, ‘You shall not come from that bed on which you have gone up, but shall surely die.’ ” And Elijah left.

5. Then the messengers went back to the king. And he said, “Why have you now come back?”

6. And they said to him, “A man came up to meet us and said to us, ‘Go, return again 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 go to ask of Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron? Therefore, you shall not come down from that bed on which you have gone up, but shall surely die.’ ” ’ ”

7. And he said to them, “What kind of man was he who came up to meet you and told you these words?”

8. And they answered him, “He was a hairy man and was bound with a girdle of leather around his loins.” And he said, “He is Elijah the Tishbite.”

9. So he sent to him a commander of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him. Then, behold, he sat on the top of a hill. And he spoke to him, “Man of God! The king has said, ‘Come down.’ ”

10. And Elijah answered and said to the commander of fifty, “If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from the heavens and burn up you and your fifty.” And there came down fire from the heavens and burned up him and his fifty.

11. So again also he sent to him another commander of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said to him, “Man of God! So says the king, ‘Come down quickly.’ ”

12. And Elijah answered and said to him “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from the heavens and burn up you and your fifty.” And the fire of God came down from the heavens and burned up him and his fifty.

13. Finally he sent again a third commander of fifty and his fifty. And the third commander of fifty came up and fell on his knees before Elijah, and begged him, and said to him, “Man of God, I pray you, let my life and the life of these fifty, your servants, be precious in your sight.

14. Behold, fire has come down from the heavens and burned up the first two ommanders of fifty with their fifties. Therefore now let my life be precious in your sight.”

15. And 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. And said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because you have sent messengers to ask of Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron— is it because there is no God in Israel to seek His word?—therefore you shall not come down off that bed on which you have gone up, but shall surely die.’ ”

17. And he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram reigned in his place, in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, because he had no son.

18. And the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?