2 Kings 1:9–16

⁹Then the king ^asent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him, and behold, he was sitting on the top of the hill. And he said to him, “O man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’ ”

¹⁰Elijah replied to the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, ^alet fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” ^bThen fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

¹¹So he again sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he said to him, “O man of God, thus says the king, ‘Come down quickly.’ ”

¹²Elijah replied to them, “If I am a man of God, let 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 he ^aagain sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. When the third captain of fifty went up, he came and bowed down on his knees before Elijah, and begged him and said to him, “O man of God, please let my life and the lives of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight.

¹⁴“Behold fire came down from heaven and consumed the first two captains of fifty with their fifties; but now let my ¹life be precious in your sight.”

^15aThe angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; ^bdo not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king.

¹⁶Then he said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have sent messengers ^ato inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word?—therefore ¹you shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but shall surely die.’ ”