耶和華責備亞哈謝
1亞哈死後，摩押背叛以色列。 2一天，亞哈謝從撒瑪利亞王宮的樓臺上掉下來，受了傷，就派使者去求問以革倫的神明巴力·西蔔，看自己能否痊癒。 3耶和華的天使對提斯比人以利亞說：「你去截住撒瑪利亞王的使者，對他們說，『你們為什麼去求問以革倫的神明巴力·西蔔？難道以色列沒有上帝嗎？』 4因此耶和華說，『亞哈謝再也不能下床了，他必定死。』」以利亞就去了。
5以利亞將天使的話告訴王的使者後，他們便回去見王。王問他們：「你們為什麼這麼快就回來了？」 6他們答道：「有一個人在路上截住我們，要我們回來告訴你，耶和華對你說，『你差人去求問以革倫的神明巴力·西蔔，是因為以色列沒有上帝嗎？因此，你再也不能下床了，你必定死。』」 7王又問他們：「在路上截住你們、對你們說這些話的，是什麼樣的人？」 8他們答道：「那人身穿毛皮衣服，腰束皮帶。」王說：「他是提斯比人以利亞。」
9於是，王派一個五十夫長率領五十人去找以利亞。那時，以利亞正坐在山頂上。五十夫長到了那裡，對他說：「上帝的僕人啊，王命令你下來。」 10以利亞說：「我若是上帝的僕人，願火從天降下燒死你和你的五十個部下。」火立刻從天降下，燒死了五十夫長和他的五十個部下。 11亞哈謝王又派一個五十夫長率領五十人去以利亞那裡，五十夫長對以利亞說：「上帝的僕人啊，王命令你馬上下來。」 12以利亞說：「我若是上帝的僕人，願火從天降下，燒死你和你的五十個部下。」上帝的火從天降下，燒死了五十夫長和他的五十個部下。
13王再次派一個五十夫長率領五十人前去。五十夫長上去，雙膝跪在以利亞面前，哀求道：「上帝的僕人啊，求你饒了我和你的五十名僕人的性命。 14前兩個五十夫長和他們的部下都被天上降下的火燒死了，現在求你饒我一命！」 15耶和華的天使對以利亞說：「不要害怕，跟他去吧！」以利亞就起來跟他去見王。 16以利亞對王說：「耶和華說，『你差人去求問以革倫的神明巴力·西蔔，是因為以色列沒有上帝可以求問嗎？因此，你再也不能下床了，你必定死。』」
17亞哈謝果然死了，正如耶和華藉以利亞所說的。他沒有兒子，他兄弟約蘭繼位，那年是猶大王約沙法的兒子約蘭執政第二年。 18亞哈謝其他的事都記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.
