耶和华责备亚哈谢
1亚哈死后，摩押背叛以色列。 2一天，亚哈谢从撒玛利亚王宫的楼台上掉下来，受了伤，就派使者去求问以革伦的神明巴力·西卜，看自己能否痊愈。 3耶和华的天使对提斯比人以利亚说：“你去截住撒玛利亚王的使者，对他们说，‘你们为什么去求问以革伦的神明巴力·西卜？难道以色列没有上帝吗？’ 4因此耶和华说，‘亚哈谢再也不能下床了，他必定死。’”以利亚就去了。
5以利亚将天使的话告诉王的使者后，他们便回去见王。王问他们：“你们为什么这么快就回来了？” 6他们答道：“有一个人在路上截住我们，要我们回来告诉你，耶和华对你说，‘你差人去求问以革伦的神明巴力·西卜，是因为以色列没有上帝吗？因此，你再也不能下床了，你必定死。’” 7王又问他们：“在路上截住你们、对你们说这些话的，是什么样的人？” 8他们答道：“那人身穿毛皮衣服，腰束皮带。”王说：“他是提斯比人以利亚。”
9于是，王派一个五十夫长率领五十人去找以利亚。那时，以利亚正坐在山顶上。五十夫长到了那里，对他说：“上帝的仆人啊，王命令你下来。” 10以利亚说：“我若是上帝的仆人，愿火从天降下烧死你和你的五十个部下。”火立刻从天降下，烧死了五十夫长和他的五十个部下。 11亚哈谢王又派一个五十夫长率领五十人去以利亚那里，五十夫长对以利亚说：“上帝的仆人啊，王命令你马上下来。” 12以利亚说：“我若是上帝的仆人，愿火从天降下，烧死你和你的五十个部下。”上帝的火从天降下，烧死了五十夫长和他的五十个部下。
13王再次派一个五十夫长率领五十人前去。五十夫长上去，双膝跪在以利亚面前，哀求道：“上帝的仆人啊，求你饶了我和你的五十名仆人的性命。 14前两个五十夫长和他们的部下都被天上降下的火烧死了，现在求你饶我一命！” 15耶和华的天使对以利亚说：“不要害怕，跟他去吧！”以利亚就起来跟他去见王。 16以利亚对王说：“耶和华说，‘你差人去求问以革伦的神明巴力·西卜，是因为以色列没有上帝可以求问吗？因此，你再也不能下床了，你必定死。’”
17亚哈谢果然死了，正如耶和华借以利亚所说的。他没有儿子，他兄弟约兰继位，那年是犹大王约沙法的儿子约兰执政第二年。 18亚哈谢其他的事都记在以色列的列王史上。
The Lord Judges Ahaziah
1After King Ahab died, Moab refused to remain under Israel’s control. 2Ahaziah had fallen through the window of his upstairs room in Samaria. He had hurt himself. So he sent messengers to ask the god named Baal-Zebub for advice. Baal-Zebub was the god of the city of Ekron. Ahaziah said to the messengers, “Go and ask Baal-Zebub whether I will get well again.”
3But the angel of the Lord spoke to Elijah, who was from Tishbe. The angel said, “Go up to see the messengers of Ahaziah, the king of Samaria. Tell them, ‘You are on your way to ask Baal-Zebub for advice. He is the god of Ekron. Are you going there to pray to that god? Do you think there is no God in Israel?’ 4The Lord says to Ahaziah, ‘You will never leave the bed you are lying on. You can be sure that you will die!’ ” So Elijah went to see the messengers.
5They returned to the king. He asked them, “Why have you come back?”
6“A man met us on our way there,” they replied. “He said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you. Tell him, “The Lord says, ‘You are sending messengers to ask Baal-Zebub for advice. He is the god of Ekron. Are you going there to pray to that god? Do you think there is no God in Israel? You will never leave the bed you are lying on. You can be sure that you will die!’ ” ’ ”
7The king asked the messengers, “What kind of man came to see you? Who told you these things?”
8They replied, “He was wearing clothes made out of hair. He had a leather belt around his waist.”
The king said, “That was Elijah from Tishbe.”
9Then Ahaziah sent a captain to Elijah. The captain had his group of 50 fighting men with him. Elijah was sitting on top of a hill. The captain went up to him. He said to Elijah, “Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down!’ ”
10Elijah answered the captain, “If I’m really a man of God, may fire come down from heaven! May it burn up you and your 50 men!” Then fire came down from heaven. It burned up the captain and his men.
11After that happened, the king sent another captain to Elijah. The captain had his 50 men with him. He said to Elijah, “Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down at once!’ ”
12Elijah replied, “If I’m really a man of God, may fire come down from heaven! May it burn up you and your 50 men!” Then the fire of God came down from heaven. It burned up the captain and his 50 men.
13So the king sent a third captain with his 50 men. The captain went up to Elijah. He fell on his knees in front of him. “Man of God,” he begged, “please have respect for my life! Please have respect for the lives of these 50 men! 14Fire has come down from heaven. It has burned up the first two captains and all their men. But please have respect for my life!”
15The angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down along with him. Don’t be afraid of him.” So Elijah got up and went down to the king with the captain.
16Elijah told the king, “The Lord says, ‘You have sent messengers to ask Baal-Zebub for advice. He is the god of Ekron. Did you go there to pray to that god for advice? Do you think there is no God in Israel? You will never leave the bed you are lying on. You can be sure that you will die!’ ” 17So King Ahaziah died. It happened just as the Lord had said it would. He had spoken that message through Elijah.
Ahaziah didn’t have any sons. So Joram, his younger brother, became the next king after him. It was the second year of Jehoram, the king of Judah. Jehoram was the son of Jehoshaphat. 18All the other events of Ahaziah’s rule are written down. Everything he did is written in the official records of the kings of Israel.
