King Ahaziah of Israel is injured and sends to consult Baal-zebub. Elijah intercepts the messengers and predicts his death. Elijah calls down fire from heaven on two captains, but spares the third.
1 Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab .
2 And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria , and was sick : and he sent messengers , and said unto them, Go , enquire of Baalzebub 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 unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel , that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron ?
4 Now therefore thus saith the LORD , Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up , but shalt surely die . And Elijah departed .
5 And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye now turned back ?
6 And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go , turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD , Is it not because there is not a God in Israel , that thou sendest to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron ? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up , but shalt surely die .
7 And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words ?
8 And they answered him, He was an hairy man , and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins . And he said , It is Elijah the Tishbite .
9 Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty . And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill . And he spake unto him, Thou man of God , the king hath said , Come down .
10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty , If I be a man of God , then let fire come down from heaven , and consume thee and thy fifty . And there came down fire from heaven , and consumed him and his fifty .
11 Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty . And he answered and said unto him, O man of God , thus hath the king said , Come down quickly .
12 And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God , let fire come down from heaven , and consume thee and thy fifty . And the fire of God came down from heaven , and consumed him and his fifty .
13 And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty . And the third captain of fifty went up , and came and fell on his knees before Elijah , and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God , I pray thee, let my life , and the life of these fifty thy servants , be precious in thy sight .
14 Behold, there came fire down from heaven , and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties : therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight .
15 And the angel of the LORD said unto Elijah , Go down with him: be not afraid of him . And he arose , and went down with him unto the king .
16 And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD , Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron , is it not because there is no God in Israel to enquire of his word ? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up , but shalt surely die .
17 So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken . And Jehoram reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah ; because he had no son .
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 ?