1
After Ahab's death, Moab rebelled against Israel.
2
Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and
injured himself. So he sent messengers, saying to them, "Go and consult
Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if I will recover from this injury."
3
But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, "Go up and meet the
messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, 'Is it because there is no God
in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?'
4
Therefore this is what the LORD says: 'You will not leave the bed you are lying on.
You will certainly die!' " So Elijah went.
5
When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, "Why have you
come back?"
6
"A man came to meet us," they replied. "And he said to us, 'Go back to the king
who sent you and tell him, "This is what the LORD says: Is it because there is no
God in Israel that you are sending men to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?
Therefore you will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!" ' "
7
The king asked them, "What kind of man was it who came to meet you and told
you this?"
8
They replied, "He was a man with a garment of hair and with a leather belt
around his waist." The king said, "That was Elijah the Tishbite,"
9
Then he sent to Elijah a captain with his company of fifty men. The captain went
up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, "Man of God,
the king says, 'Come down!' "
10
Elijah answered the captain, "If I a man of God, may fire come down from heaven
and consume you and your fifty men!" Then the fire of God fell from heaven and
consumed him and his fifty men.
11
At this the king sent to Elijah another captain with his fifty men. The captain said
to him, "Man of God, this is what the king says, 'Come down at once!' "
12
"If I a man of God," Elijah replied, "may fire come down from heaven
and consume you and your fifty men!" Then the fire of God fell from heaven and
consumed him and his fifty men.
13
So the king sent a third captain with his fifty men. This third captain went up and
fell on his knees before Elijah. "Man of God," he begged, "please have respect for
my life and the lives of these fifty men, your servants!
14
See, fire has fallen from heaven and consumed the first two captains and all their
men. But now have respect for my life!"
15
The angel of the LORD said to Elijah, "Go down with him; do not be afraid of him."
So Elijah got up and went down with him to the king.
16
He told the king, "This is what the LORD says: Is it because there is no God in Israel
for you to consult that you have sent messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god
of Ekron? Because you have done this, you will never lrave the bed you are lying on.
You will certainly die!"
17
So he died, according to the word of the LORD that Elijah had spoken. Because
Ahaziah had no son, Joram succeeded him as king in the second year of Jehoram
son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah.
18
As for all the other events of Ahaziah's reign, and what he did, are they not written
in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?
Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and
injured himself. So he sent messengers, saying to them, "Go and consult
Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if I will recover from this injury."
17
So he died, according to the word of the LORD that Elijah had spoken. Because
Ahaziah had no son, Joram succeeded him as king in the second year of Jehoram
son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah.
* 2 Kings
Second Kings continues the history of Israel, half way between the death of David and the death of the nation. Israel has been divided (1 Kings 12), and the two kingdoms have begun to slide into idolatry and corruption toward collapse and captivity. Second Kings relates the sordid stories of the 12 kings of the northern kingdom (called Israel) and the 16 kings of the southern kingdom (called Judah). For 130 years (Ahab dies in battle 853 B.C. – Israel kindomfalls 722 B.C.),
Israel endures the succession of evil rulers until they are conquered by Shalmaneser of Assyria and led into captivity in 722 B.C. (17:6).
Of all the kings in both the north and south, only two – Hezekiah and Josiah – are called good. Because of their obedience to God and the spiritual revivals during their reigns, Judah stands for an additional 136 years until falling to Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians in 586 B.C.
Throughout this dark period, the Bible mentions 30 prophets who proclaim
God’s message to the people and their leaders.
Most notable of these fearless men of God are Elijah and Elisha.