Online Bible: New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures

1 And Mo´ab began to revolt against Israel after the death of A´hab.

2 Then A·ha·zi´ah fell down through the grating in his roof chamber that was in Sa·mar´i·a and got sick. So he sent messengers and said to them: “Go, inquire of Ba´al-ze´bub the god of Ek´ron whether I shall revive from this sickness.” 3 As for the angel of Jehovah, he spoke to E·li´jah the Tish´bite: “Rise up, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Sa·mar´i·a and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God at all in Israel that YOU are going to inquire of Ba´al-ze´bub the god of Ek´ron? 4 So therefore this is what Jehovah has said: “As regards the couch upon which you have gone up, you will not come down off it, because you will positively die.”’” With that E·li´jah went off.

5 When the messengers came back to him, he immediately said to them: “Why is it that YOU have come back?” 6 So they said to him: “There was a man that came up to meet us, and he proceeded to say to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent YOU, and YOU must speak to him: “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘Is it because there is no God at all in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Ba´al-ze´bub the god of Ek´ron? Therefore, as regards the couch upon which you have gone up, you will not come down off it, because you will positively die.’”’” 7 At this he spoke to them: “What was the appearance of the man that came up to meet YOU and then spoke these words to YOU?” 8 So they said to him: “A man possessing a hair garment, with a leather belt girded about his loins.” Immediately he said: “It was E·li´jah the Tish´bite.”

9 And he proceeded to send to him a chief of fifty with his fifty. When he went up to him, there he was sitting upon the top of the mountain. He now spoke to him: “Man of the [true] God, the king himself has spoken, ‘Do come down.’” 10 But E·li´jah answered and spoke to the chief of the fifty: “Well, if I am a man of God, let fire come down from the heavens and eat up you and your fifty.” And fire came descending from the heavens and went eating up him and his fifty.

11 So he sent again to him another chief of fifty with his fifty. In turn he answered and spoke to him: “Man of the [true] God, this is what the king has said, ‘Do come down quickly.’” 12 But E·li´jah answered and spoke to them: “If I am a man of the [true] God, let fire come down from the heavens and eat up you and your fifty.” And fire of God came descending from the heavens and went eating up him and his fifty.

13 And he went sending again a third chief of fifty and his fifty. But the third chief of fifty went up and came and bent down upon his knees in front of E·li´jah and began to implore favor of him and speak to him: “Man of the [true] God, please let my soul and the soul of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your eyes. 14 Here fire came down from the heavens and went eating up the two former chiefs of fifty and their fifties, but now let my soul be precious in your eyes.”

15 At that the angel of Jehovah spoke to E·li´jah: “Go down with him. Do not be afraid because of him.” So he rose and went down with him to the king. 16 Then he spoke to him: “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘For the reason that you have sent messengers to inquire of Ba´al-ze´bub the god of Ek´ron, is it because there is no God at all in Israel of whose word to inquire? Therefore as regards the couch upon which you have gone up, you will not come down off it, because you will positively die.’” 17 And he gradually died, according to the word of Jehovah that E·li´jah had spoken; and Je·ho´ram began to reign in place of him, in the second year of Je·ho´ram the son of Je·hosh´a·phat the king of Judah, because he had not come to have a son.

18 As for the rest of A·ha·zi´ah’s things that he did, are they not written in the book of the affairs of the days of the kings of Israel?