Now behold, there came
aa man
of God
from Judah
to Bethel
by the word
of the LORD
, while Jeroboam
was standing
by the altar
bto burn
incense
.
aHe cried against
the altar
by the word
of the LORD
, and said
, "O altar
, altar
, thus
says
the LORD
, `Behold
, a son
shall be born
to the house
of David
, bJosiah
by name
; and on you he shall sacrifice
the priests
of the high
places
who burn
incense
on you, and human
bones
shall be burned
on you.' "
Then he gave a 1sign
the same
day
, saying
, " aThis
is the 1sign
which
the LORD
has spoken
, `Behold
, the altar
shall be split
apart
and the 2ashes
which
are on it shall be poured
out.' "
Now when the king heard
the saying
of the man
of God
, which
he cried
against
the altar
in Bethel
, Jeroboam
stretched
out his hand
from the altar
, saying
, "Seize
him." But his hand
which
he stretched
out against
him dried
up, so that he could
not draw
it back
to himself.
The altar also was split
apart
and the 1ashes
were poured
out from the altar
, according to the 2sign
which
the man
of God
had given
by the word
of the LORD
.
The king said
to the man
of God
, "Please
1 aentreat
the LORD
your God
, and pray
for me, that my hand
may be restored
to me." So bthe man
of God
2entreated
the LORD
, and the king's
hand
was restored
to him, and it became
as it was before
.
Then the king said
to the man
of God
, "Come
home
with me and refresh
yourself, and aI will give
you a reward
."
But the man of God
said
to the king
, " aIf
you were to give
me half
your house
I would not go
with you, nor
would I eat
bread
or drink
water
in this
place
.
"For so 1it was commanded
me by the word
of the LORD
, saying
, `You shall eat
no
bread
, nor
drink
water
, nor
return
by the way
which
you came
.' "
So he went another
way
and did not return
by the way
which
he came
to Bethel
.
Now aan old prophet
was living
in Bethel
; and his 1sons
came
and told
him all
the deeds
which
the man
of God
had done
that day
in Bethel
; the words
which
he had spoken
to the king
, these also they related
to their father
.
Their father said
to them, " 1Which
way
did he go
?" Now his sons
2had seen
the way
which
the man
of God
who
came
from Judah
had gone
.
Then he said to his sons
, "Saddle
the donkey
for me." So they saddled
the donkey
for him and he rode
away on it.
So he went after
the man
of God
and found
him sitting
under
1an oak
; and he said
to him, "Are you the man
of God
who
came
from Judah
?" And he said
, "I am."
Then he said to him, "Come
home
with me and eat
bread
."
He said, " aI cannot
return
with you, nor
go
with you, nor
will I eat
bread
or drink
water
with you in this
place
.
"For a command came to me aby the word
of the LORD
, `You shall eat
no
bread
, nor
drink
water
there
; do not return
by going
the way
which
you came
.' "
He said to him, " aI also
am a prophet
like
you, and ban angel
spoke
to me by the word
of the LORD
, saying
, `Bring
him back
with you to your house
, that he may eat
bread
and drink
water
.' " But che lied
to him.
So he went back
with him, and ate
bread
in his house
and drank
water
.
Now it came about, as they were sitting
down
at the table
, that the word
of the LORD
came
to the prophet
who
had brought
him back
;
and he cried to the man
of God
who
came
from Judah
, saying
, "Thus
says
the LORD
, `Because
you have 1disobeyed
the 2command
of the LORD
, and have not observed
the commandment
which
the LORD
your God
commanded
you,
but have returned and eaten
bread
and drunk
water
in the place
of which
He said
to you, "Eat
no
bread
and drink
no
water
"; your body
shall not come
to the grave
of your fathers
.' "
It came about after
he had eaten
bread
and after
he had drunk
, that he saddled
the donkey
for him, for the prophet
whom
he had brought
back
.
Now when he had gone, aa lion
met
him on the way
and killed
him, and his body
was thrown
on the road
, with the donkey
standing
beside
it; the lion
also was standing
beside
the body
.
And behold, men
passed
by and saw
the body
thrown
on the road
, and the lion
standing
beside
the body
; so they came
and told
it in the city
where
athe old
prophet
lived
.
Now when the prophet who
brought
him back
from the way
heard
it, he said
, "It is the man
of God
, who
1disobeyed
the 2command
of the LORD
; therefore the LORD
has given
him to the lion
, which has torn
him and killed
him, according to the word
of the LORD
which
He spoke
to him."
Then he spoke to his sons
, saying
, "Saddle
the donkey
for me." And they saddled
it.
He went and found
his body
thrown
on the road
with the donkey
and the lion
standing
beside
the body
; the lion
had not eaten
the body
nor
torn
the donkey
.
So the prophet took
up the body
of the man
of God
and laid
it on the donkey
and brought
it back
, and he came
to the city
of the old
prophet
to mourn
and to bury
him.
He laid his body
in his own grave
, and they mourned
over
him, saying, " aAlas
, my brother
!"
After he had buried
him, he spoke
to his sons
, saying
, "When I die
, bury
me in the grave
in which
the man
of God
is buried
; alay
my bones
beside
his bones
.
" aFor the thing shall surely
come
to pass
which
he cried
by the word
of the LORD
against
the altar
in Bethel
and bagainst
all
the houses
of the high
places
which
are in the cities
of cSamaria
."
After this
event
Jeroboam
did not return
from his evil
way
, but aagain
he made
priests
of the high
places
from among 1all
the people
; bany who would
, he ordained
, to be priests
of the high
places
.
1 aThis event
became
sin
to the house
of Jeroboam
, beven to blot
it out and destroy
it from off
the face
of the earth
.