2 Kings 1:1–25:30
Ahaziah’s Messengers Meet Elijah
1 Now aMoab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.
2 And Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber which was in Samaria, and became ill. So he sent messengers and said to them, “Go, ainquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, bwhether I will recover from this sickness.”
3 But the angel of the Lord said to aElijah 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 are going to inquire of bBaal-zebub, the god of Ekron?’
4 “Now therefore thus says the Lord, ‘1aYou shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’ ” Then Elijah departed.
5 When the messengers returned to him he said to them, “1Why have you returned?”
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 ato inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore 1you shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but shall surely die.’ ” ’ ”
7 He said to them, “What kind of man was he who came up to meet you and spoke these words to you?”
8 They 1answered him, “aHe was a hairy man with a leather girdle 2bound about his loins.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”
9 Then 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.’ ”
10 Elijah 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.
11 So 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.’ ”
12 Elijah 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.
13 So 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.”
15 aThe 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.
16 Then 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.’ ”
17 So Ahaziah died according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken. And because he had no son, Jehoram became king in his place ain the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.
18 Now 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?
1 And it came about when the Lord was about to atake up Elijah by a 1whirlwind to heaven, that Elijah went with bElisha from cGilgal.
2 Elijah said to Elisha, “aStay here please, for the Lord has sent me as far as bBethel.” But Elisha said, “cAs the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
3 Then athe sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over 1you today?” And he said, “Yes, I know; be still.”
4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please astay here, for the Lord has sent me to bJericho.” But he said, “aAs the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho.
5 aThe sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, “bDo you know that the Lord will take away your master from over 1you today?” And he 2answered, “Yes, I know; be still.”
6 Then Elijah said to him, “Please astay here, for the Lord has sent me to bthe Jordan.” And he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.
7 Now afifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan.
8 Elijah atook his mantle and folded it together and bstruck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
9 When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please, let a adouble portion of your spirit be upon me.”
10 He said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you asee me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.”
11 As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared aa chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a 1whirlwind to heaven.
12 Elisha saw it and cried out, “aMy father, my father, the 1chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw 2Elijah no more. Then bhe took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
13 He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan.
14 He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he also had astruck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over.
15 Now when athe sons of the prophets who were at Jericho opposite him saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
16 They said to him, “Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men, please let them go and search for your master; perhaps athe Spirit of the Lord has taken him up and cast him on some mountain or into some valley.” And he said, “You shall not send.”
17 But when athey urged him until he was ashamed, he said, “Send.” They sent therefore fifty men; and they searched three days but did not find him.
18 They returned to him while he was staying at Jericho; and he said to them, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not go’?”
19 Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold now, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad and the land 1is unfruitful.”
20 He said, “Bring me a new jar, and put salt 1in it.” So they brought it to him.
21 He went out to the spring of water and athrew salt 1in it and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘I have 2purified these waters; there shall not be from there death or 3unfruitfulness any longer.’ ”
22 So the waters have been 1purified to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.
23 Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, young lads came out from the city and amocked him and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!”
24 When he looked behind him and saw them, he acursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of 1their number.
25 He went from there to aMount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
1 Now Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel at Samaria ain the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.
2 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, though not like his father and his mother; for ahe put away the sacred pillar of Baal bwhich his father had made.
3 Nevertheless, ahe clung to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, bwhich he made Israel sin; he did not depart from them.
4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and aused to pay the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams.
5 But awhen Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
6 And King Jehoram went out of Samaria 1at that time and mustered all Israel.
7 Then he went and sent word to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” And he said, “I will go up; aI am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”
8 He said, “Which way shall we go up?” And he 1answered, “The way of the wilderness of Edom.”
9 So athe king of Israel went with bthe king of Judah and cthe king of Edom; and they made a circuit of seven days’ journey, and there was no water for the army or for the cattle that followed them.
10 Then the king of Israel said, “Alas! For the Lord has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.”
11 But Jehoshaphat said, “aIs there not a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord by him?” And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said, “bElisha the son of Shaphat is here, cwho used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.”
12 Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
13 Now Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What do I have to do with you? aGo to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.” And the king of Israel said to him, “No, for the Lord has called these three kings together to give them into the hand of Moab.”
14 Elisha said, “aAs the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you.
15 “But now abring me a minstrel.” And it came about, when the minstrel played, that bthe hand of the Lord came upon him.
16 He said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Make this valley full of trenches.’