2 Kings 1

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 After Ahab's death Moab rebel ed against Israel.	1 Then, after the death of Ahab, Moab transgressed against Israel.
2 Ahaziah had fal en from the balcony of his upper room in Samaria, and was lying il ; so he sentmessengers, saying to them, 'Go and consult Baal-Zebub god of Ekron and ask whether I shal recover from myil ness.'	2 And Ahaziah fell down through the lattices of his upper room, which he had in Samaria, and he was injured. And he sent messengers, saying to them, “Go, consult Beelzebub, the god of Ekron, as to whether I may be able to survive this infirmity of mine.”
3 But the angel of Yahweh said to Elijah the Tishbite, 'Up! Go and intercept the king of Samaria'smessengers. Say to them, "Is there no God in Israel, for you to go and consult Baal-Zebub god of Ekron?	3 And an Angel of the Lord spoke to Elijah, the Tishbite, saying: “Rise up, and ascend to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria. And you shall say to them: ‘Is there not a God in Israel, so that you would go to consult Beelzebub, the god of Ekron?
4 Yahweh says this: You will never leave the bed you have got into; you are certainly going to die." ' AndElijah set out.	4 For this reason, thus says the Lord: From the bed to which you have ascended, you shall not descend. Instead, dying you shall die.’ ” And Elijah went away.
5 The messengers returned to the king, who said, 'Why have you come back?'	5 And the messengers returned to Ahaziah. And he said to them, “Why have you returned?”
6 'A man came to meet us,' they answered. 'He said, "Go back to the king who sent you and tell him:Yahweh says this: Is there no God in Israel, for you to go and consult Baal-Zebub god of Ekron? For this, youwil never leave the bed you have got into; you are certainly going to die." '	6 But they responded to him: “A man met us, and he said to us: ‘Go, and return to the king who sent you. And you shall say to him: Thus says the Lord: Is it because there was no God in Israel that you are sending to consult Beelzebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore, from the bed to which you have ascended, you shall not descend. Instead, dying you shall die.’ ”
7 He said, 'This man who met you and said al this, what was he like?'	7 And he said to them: “What was the appearance and dress of that man, who met you and who spoke these words?”
8 'A man wearing a hair cloak', they answered, 'and a leather loincloth.' 'It was Elijah the Tishbite,' he said.	8 So they said, “A hairy man, with a belt of leather wrapping his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah, the Tishbite.”
9 He then sent a captain of fifty soldiers with his fifty men to Elijah, whom they found sitting on top of a hil ;the captain went up to him and said, 'Man of God, the king says, "Come down." '	9 And he sent to him a leader of fifty, with the fifty who were under him. And he ascended to him, sitting at the top of a hill, and he said, “Man of God, the king commanded that you should descend.”
10 Elijah answered the captain, 'If I am a man of God, may fire fal from heaven and destroy both you andyour fifty men.' And fire fell from heaven and destroyed him and his fifty men.	10 And responding, Elijah said to the leader of fifty, “If I am a man of God, let fire from heaven descend and devour you and your fifty.” And then fire from heaven descended and devoured him and the fifty who were with him.
11 The king sent a second captain of fifty to him, again with fifty men, and he too went up and said, 'Manof God, this is the king's order, "Come down at once." '	11 And again, he sent to him another leader of fifty, and the fifty with him. And he said to him, “Man of God, thus says the king: Hurry, descend.”
12 Elijah answered them, 'If I am a man of God, may fire fal from heaven and destroy both you and yourfifty men.' And lightning fel from heaven and destroyed him and his fifty men.	12 Responding, Elijah said, “If I am a man of God, let fire from heaven descend and devour you and your fifty.” And fire from heaven descended and devoured him and his fifty.
13 The king then sent a third captain of fifty to him, with another fifty men. The third captain of fifty cameup to Elijah, fel on his knees before him and pleaded with him. 'Man of God,' he said, 'may my life and the livesof these fifty servants of yours count for something in your eyes.	13 Again, he sent a third leader of fifty men and the fifty who were with him. And when he had arrived, he bent his knees before Elijah, and he pleaded with him, and said: “Man of God, do not choose to despise my life and the lives of your servants who are with me.
14 Fire has fal en from heaven and destroyed two captains of fifties and their companies, but this timemay my life count for something in your eyes!'	14 Behold, fire from heaven descended and devoured the two previous leaders of fifty and the fifties who were with them. But now I beg you to take pity on my life.”
15 The angel of Yahweh said to Elijah, 'Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.' He rose andaccompanied him down to the king,	15 Then the Angel of the Lord spoke to Elijah, saying, “Descend with him; fear not.” And so, he arose and descended with him to the king.
16 and said to him, 'Yahweh says this, "Since you sent messengers to consult Baal-Zebub god of Ekron,you wil never leave the bed you have got into; you are certainly going to die." '	16 And he said to him: “Thus says the Lord: Because you sent messengers to consult Beelzebub, the god of Ekron, as if there were no God in Israel, from whom you would be able to seek a word, therefore, from the bed to which you have ascended, you shall not descend. Instead, dying you shall die.”
17 And, in accordance with the word of Yahweh which Elijah had uttered, he died. Since he had no son,his brother Jehoram succeeded him, in the second year of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.	17 And so he died, in accord with the word of the Lord, which Elijah spoke. And Jehoram, his brother, reigned in his place, in the second year of Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah. For he had no son.
18 The rest of the history of Ahaziah, and his career, is this not recorded in the Book of the Annals of theKings of Israel?	18 But the rest of the words of Ahaziah that he worked, have these not been written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?