1 Kings 13

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 There came to Bethel at Yahweh's command a man of God from Judah, just as Jeroboam wasstanding by the altar to offer the sacrifice,	1 A man of God came from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD, while Jeroboam was standing at the altar to offer sacrifice.
2 and at Yahweh's command this man denounced the altar. 'Altar, altar,' he said, 'Yahweh says this, "Ason is to be born to the House of David, Josiah by name, and on you he wil slaughter the priests of the highplaces who have offered sacrifice on you, and on you he will burn human bones." '	2 He cried out against the altar the word of the LORD: "O altar, altar, the LORD says, 'A child shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name, who shall slaughter upon you the priests of the high places who offer sacrifice upon you, and he shall burn human bones upon you.'"
3 At the same time he gave a sign. 'This is the sign', he said, 'that Yahweh has spoken, "This altar willburst apart and the ashes which are on it will be spilt." '	3 He gave a sign that same day and said: "This is the sign that the LORD has spoken: The altar shall break up and the ashes on it shall be strewn about.
4 When the king heard how the man of God denounced the altar of Bethel, he stretched out his handfrom the altar, saying, 'Seize him!' But the hand he stretched out against the man withered, and he could notdraw it back,	4 When King Jeroboam heard what the man of God was crying out against the altar, he stretched forth his hand from the altar and said, "Seize him!" But the hand he stretched forth against him withered, so that he could not draw it back.
5 and the altar burst apart and the ashes from the altar were spilt, in accordance with the sign given bythe man of God at Yahweh's command.	5 Moreover, the altar broke up and the ashes from it were strewn about--the sign the man of God had given as the word of the LORD.
6 The king said to the man of God, 'I beg you to placate Yahweh your God, and so restore me the use ofmy hand.' The man of God placated Yahweh; the king's hand was restored as it had been before.	6 Then the king appealed to the man of God. "Entreat the LORD, your God," he said, "and intercede for me that I may be able to withdraw my hand." So the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king recovered the normal use of his hand.
7 The king then said to the man of God, 'Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I shall give you apresent,'	7 "Come home with me for some refreshment," the king invited the man of God, "and I will give you a present."
8 but the man of God replied to the king, 'Were you to give me half your palace, I would not go with you. Iwil eat and drink nothing here,	8 "If you gave me half your kingdom," the man of God said to the king, "I would not go with you, nor eat bread or drink water in this place.
9 for I have had Yahweh's order, "You are to eat or drink nothing, nor to return by the way you came." '	9 For I was instructed by the word of the LORD not to eat bread or drink water and not to return by the way I came."
10 And he left by another road and did not return by the way he had come to Bethel.	10 So he departed by another road and did not go back the way he had come to Bethel.
11 Now there was an old prophet living in Bethel, and his sons came to tel him al that the man of Godhad done in Bethel that day; and the words which he had said to the king, they told these to their father too.	11 There was an old prophet living in the city, whose sons came and told him all that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. When they repeated to their father the words he had spoken to the king,
12 'Which road did he take?' their father asked. His sons showed him the road which the man of Godwho came from Judah had taken.	12 the father asked them, "Which way did he go?" And his sons pointed out to him the road taken by the man of God who had come from Judah.
13 'Saddle the donkey for me,' he said to his sons; they saddled the donkey for him and he mounted.	13 Then he said to his sons, "Saddle the ass for me." When they had saddled it, he mounted
14 He fol owed the man of God and found him sitting under a terebinth. 'Are you the man of God', hesaid, 'who came from Judah?' 'I am,' he replied.	14 and followed the man of God, whom he found seated under a terebinth. When he asked him, "Are you the man of God who came from Judah?" he answered, "Yes."
15 'Come home with me,' he said, 'and take some food.'	15 Then he said, "Come home with me and have some bread."
16 'I cannot go back with you,' he answered, 'or eat or drink anything here,	16 "I cannot go back with you, and I cannot eat bread or drink water with you in this place," he answered,
17 for I have received Yahweh's order, "You are to eat or drink nothing there, nor to return by the wayyou came." '	17 "for I was told by the word of the LORD neither to eat bread nor drink water here, and not to go back the way I came."
18 'I too am a prophet like you,' the other replied, 'and an angel told me this by Yahweh's command,"Bring him back with you to your house to eat and drink." ' He was lying to him.	18 But he said to him, "I, too, am a prophet like you, and an angel told me in the word of the LORD to bring you back with me to my house and to have you eat bread and drink water." He was lying to him, however.
19 The man of God went back with him; he ate and drank at his house.	19 So he went back with him, and ate bread and drank water in his house.
20 As they were sitting at table a word of Yahweh came to the prophet who had brought him back,	20 But while they were sitting at table, the LORD spoke to the prophet who had brought him back,
21 and he addressed the man of God who came from Judah. 'Yahweh says this,' he said. ' "Since you have defied Yahweh's command and not obeyed the orders which Yahweh your God gave you,	21 and he cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah: "The LORD says, 'Because you rebelled against the command of the LORD and did not keep the command which the LORD, your God, gave you,
22 but have come back and eaten and drunk where he forbade you to eat and drink, your corpse wilnever reach the tomb of your ancestors." '	22 but returned and ate bread and drank water in the place where he told you to do neither, your corpse shall not be brought to the grave of your ancestors.'"
23 After he had eaten and drunk, the prophet saddled the donkey for him, and he turned about and wentaway.	23 After he had eaten bread and drunk water, the ass was saddled for him, and he again
24 A lion met him on the road and killed him; his corpse lay stretched out on the road; the donkey stoodthere beside it; the lion stood by the corpse too.	24 set out. But a lion met him on the road, and killed him. His corpse lay sprawled on the road, and the ass remained standing by it, and so did the lion.
25 People going by saw the corpse lying on the road and the lion standing by the corpse, and went andspoke about it in the town where the old prophet lived.	25 Some passers-by saw the body lying in the road, with the lion standing beside it, and carried the news to the city where the old prophet lived.
26 When the prophet who had made the man turn back heard about it, he said, 'That is the man of Godwho defied Yahweh's command! Yahweh has handed him over to the lion, which has mauled and kil ed him, justas Yahweh had foretold it would.'	26 On hearing it, the prophet who had brought him back from his journey said: "It is the man of God who rebelled against the command of the LORD. He has delivered him to a lion, which mangled and killed him, as the LORD predicted to him."
27 He said to his sons, 'Saddle the donkey for me,' and they saddled it.	27 Then he said to his sons, "Saddle the ass for me." When they had saddled it,
28 He set off and found the man's corpse lying on the road with the donkey and the lion standing besidethe corpse; the lion had neither eaten the corpse nor mauled the donkey.	28 he went off and found the body lying in the road with the ass and the lion standing beside it. The lion had not eaten the body nor had it harmed the ass.
29 The prophet lifted the corpse of the man of God and put it on the donkey and brought it back to thetown where he lived to hold mourning for him and bury him.	29 The prophet lifted up the body of the man of God and put it on the ass, and brought it back to the city to mourn over it and to bury it.
30 He laid the corpse in his own tomb, and they raised the mourning cry for him, 'Alas, my brother!'	30 He laid the man's body in his own grave, and they mourned over it: "Alas, my brother!"
31 After burying him, the prophet said to his sons, 'When I die, bury me in the same tomb as the man ofGod, lay my bones beside his.	31 After he had buried him, he said to his sons, "When I die, bury me in the grave where the man of God is buried. Lay my remains beside his.
32 For the word he uttered at Yahweh's command against the altar of Bethel and against al the shrinesof the high places in the towns of Samaria will certainly come true.'	32 For the word of the LORD which he proclaimed against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines on the high places in the cities of Samaria shall certainly come to pass."
33 Jeroboam did not give up his wicked ways after this incident, but went on appointing priests for thehigh places from the common people. He consecrated as priests of the high places any who wished to be.	33 Jeroboam did not give up his evil ways after this event, but again made priests for the high places from among the common people. Whoever desired it was consecrated and became a priest of the high places.
34 Such conduct made the House of Jeroboam a sinful House, and caused its ruin and extinction fromthe face of the earth.	34 This was a sin on the part of the house of Jeroboam for which it was to be cut off and destroyed from the earth.