Is There No Father in Israel?
1 1 After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel.
2 Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and was hurt. He sent messengers: "Go, ask Baal-zebub, god of Ekron, whether I'll recover from this injury."
3 But our Father's messenger told Elijah the Tishbite, "Get up, meet Samaria's king's messengers and ask them, 'Is there no Father in Israel, that you go to consult Baal-zebub, god of Ekron?'" 4 So our Father says: 'You will not leave the bed you climbed into; you will surely die.'" And Elijah left.
5 When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, "Why have you come back?"
6 They answered, "A man came to meet us and said, 'Go back to the king who sent you and tell him: This is what our Father says: Is there no Father in Israel, that you send men to ask Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? So you will not leave the bed you climbed into; you will surely die.'"
7 The king asked, "Who was the man who came to meet you and told you this?"
8 They said, "A hairy man with a leather belt at his waist." He said, "Elijah the Tishbite."
9 The king sent a captain with his fifty men up to Elijah, who sat on a hilltop, and said, "Man of our Father, the king says, 'Come down.'"
10 Elijah answered the captain, "If I am a man of our Father, may fire fall from heaven and consume you and your fifty." And fire fell from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
11 Again the king sent another captain with fifty men, who said, "Man of our Father, the king says: 'Come down quickly.'"
12 Elijah answered, "If I am a man of our Father, may fire fall from heaven and consume you and your fifty." And the fire of our Father fell from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
13 The king sent a third captain with his fifty. This one went up, knelt before Elijah, and pleaded, "Man of our Father, please let my life and these fifty servants' lives be precious in your eyes." 14 Fire came from heaven and consumed the two earlier captains with their fifties. Now let my life be precious to you.
15 The messenger of our Father told Elijah, "Go down with him; don't be afraid of him." So Elijah went down with him to the king.
16 He told the king, "This is what our Father says: You sent messengers to consult Baal-zebub, god of Ekron — is there no Father in Israel to ask his word? — so you will not leave the bed you climbed into; you will surely die."
17 Ahaziah died, as our Father's word through Elijah said. Having no son, Jehoram succeeded him, in the second year of Judah's king Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat. 18 The rest of Ahaziah's acts, what he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?