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

2. Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria, and was ill; so he sent messengers and said to them, Go, inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness.

3. And the Angel of Jehovah spoke to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?

4. Now therefore, thus says Jehovah: You shall not come down from the bed on which you have gone up, but you shall die the death. And Elijah departed.

5. And when the messengers returned to him, he said to them, Why have you come back?

6. And they said to him, A man came up to meet us, and said to us, Go, return to the king who sent you, and say to him, Thus says Jehovah: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed upon which you have gone up, but you shall die the death.

7. And he said to them, What kind of man was it who came up to meet you and spoke to you these words?

8. So they answered him, A hairy man girded with a leather waistband around his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.

9. Then the king sent to him a commander of fifty with his fifty. So he went up to him; and behold, he was sitting on the top of a hill. And he spoke to him: Man of God, the king has said, Come down!

10. And Elijah answered and said to the commander of fifty, If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from the heavens and consume you and your fifty. And fire came down from the heavens and consumed him and his fifty.

11. Then he sent to him another commander of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said to him: Man of God, thus has the king said, Come down quickly!

12. And Elijah answered and said to them, If I am a man of God, let fire come down from the heavens and consume you and your fifty. And the fire of God came down from the heavens and consumed him and his fifty.

13. Again, he sent a third commander of fifty with his fifty. And the third commander of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and implored him, and said to him: Man of God, please let my life and the life of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your eyes.

14. Behold, fire has come down from the heavens and burned up the first two commanders of fifties with their fifties. But let my life now be precious in your eyes.

15. And the Angel of Jehovah said to Elijah, Go down with him; do not be afraid of him. So he arose and went down with him to the king.

16. And he said to him, Thus says Jehovah: Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His Word? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed upon which you have gone up, but you shall die the death.

17. So Ahaziah died according to the Word of Jehovah which Elijah had spoken. Because he had no son, Jehoram became king in his place, in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.

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.