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.
O julgamento do Senhor sobre Acazias
1Após a morte de Acabe, a nação de Moabe declarou a sua independência e recusou continuar a pagar impostos a Israel.
2O novo rei de Israel, Acazias, caiu da varanda dum andar alto do seu palácio em Samaria e ficou gravemente ferido. Na sequência deste acontecimento, enviou mensageiros ao templo do deus Baal-Zebube, em Ecrom, para perguntarem se recuperaria.
3Contudo, o anjo do Senhor disse a Elias, o tesbita: “Vai ao encontro desses mensageiros e pergunta-lhes: Será mesmo verdade que já não há Deus em Israel? Será por essa razão que vão ter com Baal-Zebube, o deus de Ecrom, para lhe perguntar se o rei há de recuperar? 4Visto que Acazias tomou uma decisão dessas, o Senhor manda dizer que nunca mais deixará a cama em que está deitado; infalivelmente morrerá.” Elias fez como o anjo lhe ordenou.
5Depois de Elias lhes ter dito isto, os mensageiros regressaram apressadamente para falar com o rei. “Porque é que regressaram tão depressa?”, perguntou-lhes.
6“É que veio ter connosco um homem que nos mandou regressar para te dizer o seguinte: ‘Diz assim o Senhor: “Por que razão vão dirigir perguntas a Baal-Zebube, o deus de Ecrom? Será porque não há Deus em Israel? Visto que fizeste uma tal coisa, não deixarás mais a cama em que estás e com toda a certeza hás de morrer.” ’ ”
7“Mas quem era esse homem?”, exigiu o rei. “Que aspeto tinha?”
8“Tinha o cabelo comprido, vestia-se de peles e trazia um cinto de couro.” O rei exclamou: “É o profeta Elias, o tesbita!”
9Mandou logo um grupo de cinquenta soldados, sob o comando de um oficial, para o prender. Acharam-no sentado no alto duma colina. Disse-lhe o oficial: “Ó homem de Deus, o rei ordena-te que venhas connosco.”
10Elias respondeu: “Se sou um homem de Deus, que desça fogo do céu para vos destruir, a ti e aos teus cinquenta homens!” Então veio um raio que os matou a todos.
11O rei mandou outro oficial com mais um grupo de cinquenta homens: “Ó homem de Deus, o rei manda que desças já daí!”
12Elias respondeu: “Se sou um homem de Deus, que venha fogo do céu e vos destrua, a ti e aos teus cinquenta soldados!” E novamente veio fogo, da parte de Deus, que os queimou.
13Uma vez mais o rei enviou cinquenta soldados; mas desta vez o capitão caiu de joelhos perante Elias e rogou-lhe: “Ó homem de Deus, peço-te que me poupes a vida e a destes teus cinquenta servos. Tem misericórdia de nós! 14Não nos destruas, como aconteceu com os outros!”
15O anjo do Senhor disse a Elias: “Não tenhas receio. Podes ir com estes.” Elias foi então ter com o rei.
16E disse-lhe: “Porque mandaste enviados a Baal-Zebube, o deus de Ecrom, para te informares sobre a tua doença, assim te diz o Senhor: ‘Será que não há Deus em Israel a quem te dirigires? Visto que fizeste uma tal coisa, não deixarás mais essa cama; com toda a certeza morrerás.’ ”
17Assim morreu Acazias, tal como o Senhor dissera por intermédio de Elias. O seu irmão Jorão tornou-se o novo rei, porque Acazias não teve filhos que lhe sucedessem. Isto ocorreu no segundo ano do reinado do rei Jeorão, filho de Jeosafá de Judá. 18O resto da história do reinado de Acazias está relatado no Livro das Crónicas dos Reis de Israel.
