2 Kings 1

1After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel.

2Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper room, which was in Samaria, and was injured. So he sent messengers and said to them, “Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this sickness.”

3But the angel of Yahweh spoke to Elijah the Tishbite, “Get up, 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 Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?’”

4Therefore, this is what Yahweh says: ‘You will not come down from the bed that you have gone up onto, for you will surely die.’ And Elijah went.

5The messengers returned to him, and he said to them, “Why have you returned?”

6And they said to him, “A man came up to meet us and said to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent you, and speak to him: Thus says Yahweh, “Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore the bed to which you have gone up—you will not come down from it, for you will surely die.”’”

7Then he said to them, “What was the appearance of the man who came up to meet you and spoke these words to you?”

8They said to him, “He was a hairy man, with a leather belt fastened around his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”

9Then he sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty men. He went up to him, and behold, he was sitting on the top of the hill. He spoke to him, “Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’”

10Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, “But if I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

11Again he sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty. He answered and said to him, “Man of God, thus says the king: ‘Come down quickly.’”

12Elijah answered and said to them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

13Again he sent a third captain of fifty with his fifty. He went up and came, and the third captain of fifty knelt on his knees before Elijah and pleaded with him and said to him, “Man of God, please let my life and the life of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight.”

14Look, fire came down from heaven and consumed the first two captains of fifty and their fifties. But now, let my life be precious in your sight.

15Then the angel of Yahweh spoke to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king.

16And he spoke to him, “Thus says Yahweh: Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word? Therefore the bed on which you have gone up, you will not come down from it, for you shall surely die.”

17So he died, according to the word of Yahweh that Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram became king in his place in the second year of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, because he had no son.

18The rest of the acts of Ahaziah, what he did—are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?