1. Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.

2. And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that [was] in Samaria and was sick, and he sent messengers and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover of this disease.

3. But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and thou shalt say unto them, Is there no God in Israel, [that] ye go to enquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron?

4. Now therefore, thus hath the LORD said, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed.

5. And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye now turned back?

6. And they said unto him, We met a man who said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you and say unto him, Thus hath the LORD said, Is there no God in Israel, [that] thou dost send to enquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.

7. Then he said unto them, What manner of man [was he] who came up to meet you and told you these words?

8. And they answered him, [He was] a hairy man and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It [is] Elijah, the Tishbite.

9. Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him, and, behold, he sat on the top of a mountain. And he spoke unto him, Man of God, the king has commanded thee to come down.

10. And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I [am] a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And fire came down from heaven, that consumed him and his fifty.

11. Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly.

12. And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I [am] a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

13. And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up and came and fell on his knees before Elijah and besought him and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight.

14. Behold, fire has come down from heaven and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties; therefore, let my soul now be precious in thy sight.

15. Then the angel of the LORD said unto Elijah, Go down with him; do not be afraid of him. And he arose and went down with him unto the king.

16. And he said unto him, Thus hath the LORD said, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, peradventure is there no God in Israel to enquire of his word? Therefore, thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.

17. So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram ([son of Ahab]) reigned in his stead, in the second year of Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, because [Ahaziah] had no son.

18. Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?: