A Man Of God Proclaims Judgment Against The False Altar
1 A man of God from Judah went to Bethel. He arrived there while Jeroboam was at the altar ready to offer a sacrifice.
1 And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.
1 Now behold, there came (A)a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar (B)to burn incense.
1 A man of God(A) came from Judah to Bethel by a revelation from the Lord while Jeroboam was standing beside the altar to burn incense.(B)
1 Right when Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn some incense, a man of God arrived in Bethel from Judah in obedience to a command from the LORD.
2 He actually spoke against the altar: O altar, altar, this is what Jehovah says: 'A child, whose name will be Josiah, will be born to the family of David. He will slaughter the priests serving at the pagan altars who offer sacrifices on you. He will burn human bones on you.'
2 And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee.
2 (C)He 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, (D)Josiah 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.’”
2 The man of God cried out against the altar by a revelation from the Lord: “Altar, altar, this is what the Lord says, ‘A son will be born to the house of David, named Josiah, and he will sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who are burning incense on you. Human bones will be burned on you.’”(C)
2 He cursed the altar in this message from the LORD: "Hey altar! Hey altar! This is what the LORD says: "Pay attention to this! A son is going to be born in David's dynasty. His name will be Josiah. He will sacrifice the priests who burn incense on you in these high places. Human bones will be burned on you!'"
3 The prophet went on to say: This altar will fall apart. The ashes on it will be scattered. Then you will know that Jehovah has spoken through me.
3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.
3 Then he gave a (a)sign the same day, saying, “(E)This is the (b)sign which the Lord has spoken, ‘Behold, the altar shall be split apart and the (c)ashes which are on it shall be poured out.’”
3 He gave a sign(D) that day. He said, “This is the sign that the Lord has spoken: ‘The altar will now be ripped apart, and the ashes that are on it will be poured out.’”(E)
3 Later that same day, he gave them a special display of power of what was to come when he said, "Here's proof that the LORD has decreed this: Look! This altar will be split apart and the ashes that are on it will spill out."
4 King Jeroboam heard this. He pointed his outstretched hand at him and ordered: Seize that man! At once the king's arm became paralyzed so that he could not pull it back.
4 And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him.
4 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.
4 When the king heard the word that the man of God had cried out against the altar at Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar and said, “Arrest him!” But the hand he stretched out against him withered, and he could not pull it back to himself.
4 When he heard the man of God curse the altar in Bethel, the king pointed at the man of God from where the king was standing at the altar. "Seize him!" he ordered. But all of a sudden his hand that he had stretched out dried up, and he could not bring it back to his side!
5 The altar suddenly fell apart and the ashes spilled to the ground. This is what the prophet predicted in the name of Jehovah.
5 The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.
5 The altar also was split apart and the (d)ashes were poured out from the altar, according to the (e)sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.
5 The altar was ripped apart, and the ashes poured from the altar, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.
5 Also, the altar broke apart and the ashes that were on it spilled out from the altar, providing just the proof that the man of God had predicted in his message from the LORD!
6 King Jeroboam said to the prophet: Please pray to Jehovah your God for me, and ask him to heal my arm! The prophet prayed to Jehovah and the king's arm was healed.
6 And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.
6 The king said to the man of God, “Please (f)(F)entreat the Lord your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” So (G)the man of God (g)entreated the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and it became as it was before.
6 Then the king responded to the man of God, “Plead for the favor of the Lord your God and pray for me(F) so that my hand may be restored to me.” So the man of God pleaded for the favor of the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored to him and became as it had been at first.
6 "Please!" the king begged the man of God, "Ask the LORD your God and pray for me that my hand may be restored for me!" So the man of God asked the LORD, and the king's hand was immediately and fully restored, just like it had been before.
7 Then the king said to the prophet: Come home with me and have something to eat. I will reward you for what you have done.
7 And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.
7 Then the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and (H)I will give you a reward.”
7 Then the king declared to the man of God, “Come home with me, refresh yourself, and I’ll give you a reward.”(G)
7 So the king told the man of God, "Come back to my palace and rest a while. I'd like to give you a reward."
8 The prophet answered: Even if you gave me half of your wealth, I would not go with you or eat or drink anything with you.
8 And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place:
8 But the man of God said to the king, “(I)If 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.
8 But the man of God replied, “If you were to give me half your house,(H) I still wouldn’t go with you, and I wouldn’t eat bread or drink water in this place,
8 But the man of God replied to the king, "Even if you were to offer me half of your house, I wouldn't go with you, and I'm sure not going to eat even a piece of bread or drink water in this place,
9 I was ordered by the word of Jehovah, he said: You are not to take food or a drink of water, and you are not to go back the way you came.
9 For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.
9 For so (h)it 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.’”
9 for this is what I was commanded by the word of the Lord:(I) ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or go back the way you came.’”
9 because the LORD commanded me specifically, "You are not to eat bread, drink water, or return by the way that you came to arrive here!'"
10 So he went another way, and not by the way he came to Bethel.
10 So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.
10 So he went another way and did not return by the way which he came to Bethel.
10 So he went another way; he did not go back by the way he had come to Bethel.
10 Then he left, returning a different way than the one by which he had traveled to Bethel.
The Man Of God Disobeys
11 There was an old prophet living in Bethel. His sons told him what the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They reported what he said to the king.
11 Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.
11 Now (J)an old prophet was living in Bethel; and his (i)sons 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.
11 Now a certain old prophet was living in Bethel.(J) His son(a) came and told him all the deeds that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. His sons also told their father the words that he had spoken to the king.(K)
11 Now there was an old prophet who lived in Bethel, and his sons went to him and told him everything that the man of God had accomplished that day in Bethel, including the message that he had delivered to the king.
12 Their father asked: Which way did he go? His sons saw which way the man of God went.
12 And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah.
12 Their father said to them, “(j)Which way did he go?” Now his sons (k)had seen the way which the man of God who came from Judah had gone.
12 Then their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” His sons had seen(b) the way taken by the man of God who had come from Judah.
12 "Which way did he go?" their father asked him, since his sons had observed the way that the man of God had taken to return to Judah from Bethel.
13 So the prophet said to his sons: Saddle the donkey for me. So they saddled the donkey and he mounted it.
13 And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon,
13 Then he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him and he rode away on it.
13 Then he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him, and he got on it.
13 "Saddle my donkey for me!" he ordered. So they saddled the donkey for him
14 He rode after the man of God. He found him sitting under an oak tree. Are you the man of God who came from Judah? He asked. I am. Came his reply.
14 And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am.
14 So he went after the man of God and found him sitting under (l)an oak; and he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.”
14 He followed the man of God and found him sitting under an oak tree. He asked him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”“I am,” he said.
14 and he rode off after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak tree. "You're the man of God who came from Judah, aren't you?" the old prophet asked him. "I am," he replied.
16 But the man of God from Judah replied: I may not go back with you or go into your house. I will not take food or a drink of water with you in this place.
16 And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place:
16 He said, “(K)I cannot return with you, nor go with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place.
16 But he answered, “I cannot go back with you, eat bread, or drink water with you in this place,
16 But he replied, "I can't go back with you to your home, be in your company, or even eat food or drink water with you in this place,
17 Jehovah said to me: 'You are not to take food or water there, or go back again by the way you came.'
17 For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.
17 For a command came to me (L)by the word of the Lord, ‘You shall eat no bread, nor drink water there; do not return by going the way which you came.’”
17 for a message came to me by the word of the Lord: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water there(L) or go back by the way you came.’”
17 because I've been given a command in the form of this message from the LORD: "You are to eat no food, drink no water, and do not return to Judah by traveling the way by which you go there.'"
18 Then he said: I am a prophet like you. An angel said to me by the word of Jehovah, Take him back with you and give him food and water. But he lied to him.
18 He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.
18 He said to him, “(M)I also am a prophet like you, and (N)an 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 (O)he lied to him.
18 He said to him, “I am also a prophet(M) like you. An angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord: ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.’” The old prophet deceived him,(N)
18 "I'm a prophet like you," the old man replied, "and an angel spoke to me and delivered this message from the LORD: "Bring him back with you to your house and give him food and water.'" But he was lying,
19 So he went back with him, and had a meal in his house and a drink of water.
19 So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.
19 So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house and drank water.
19 and the man of God went back with him, ate bread in his house, and drank water.
19 and the man of God accompanied the old prophet back to his house, ate some food, and drank some water.
20 But while they were seated at the table, the word of Jehovah came to the old prophet who had brought him back.
20 And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back:
20 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;
20 While they were sitting at the table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back,
20 Later, while they were sitting down at the table, a message from the LORD was delivered to the prophet who had brought him back,
21 Crying out to the man of God who came from Judah, he said: Jehovah says, 'because you have gone against the voice of Jehovah, and have not done as Jehovah ordered you,
21 And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee,
21 and he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have (m)disobeyed the (n)command of the Lord, and have not observed the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you,
21 and the prophet cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because you rebelled against the command of the Lord and did not keep the command that the Lord your God commanded you—
21 so he cried out to the man of God from Judah: "This is what the LORD says: "Because you disobeyed a command from the LORD and haven't done what the LORD your God commanded you to do,
22 but have come back, and have taken food and water in this place where he said you were to take no food or water; your dead body will not be put to rest with your fathers.'
22 But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the LORD did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.
22 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.’”
22 but you went back and ate bread and drank water in the place that He said to you, “Do not eat bread and do not drink water”—(O) your corpse will never reach the grave of your fathers.’”(P)
22 but instead you returned to eat and drink in the very place that he told you "Eat no food and drink no water," your body will not be buried in the same grave as your ancestors.'"
The Disobedient Man Of God Dies
23 After the meal he made the donkey ready for the prophet whom he had taken back.
23 And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back.
23 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.
23 So after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, the old prophet saddled the donkey for the prophet he had brought back.
23 After the meal was over, and the man had eaten food and had drunk water, the old prophet saddled the donkey for him that is, for the man of God whom he had brought back.
24 He went on his way. A lion met him on the road and jumped him and killed him. His dead body was stretched in the road with the donkey by its side. The lion was by the body.
24 And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase.
24 Now when he had gone, (P)a 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.
24 When he left,(c) a lion attacked(d) him along the way and killed him.(Q) His corpse was thrown on the road, and the donkey was standing beside it; the lion was standing beside the corpse too.
24 Not long after the man of God had left, a lion met him along the road and killed him. His body was left lying in the middle of the road with the donkey standing beside it and with the lion also standing next to the body.
25 Some people who passed by saw the body stretched out in the road with the lion by its side. They brought the news to the town where the old prophet lived.
25 And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.
25 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 (Q)the old prophet lived.
25 There were men passing by who saw the corpse thrown on the road and the lion standing beside it, and they went and spoke about it in the city where the old prophet lived.
25 When some men passed by and noticed the body lying in the middle of the road and the lion standing beside the body, they went straight to the city and told what had happened in the city where the old prophet lived.
26 The old prophet heard about it and said: That is the prophet who disobeyed Jehovah's command! Jehovah sent the lion to attack and kill him, just as Jehovah said he would.
26 And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD: therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake unto him.
26 Now when the prophet who brought him back from the way heard it, he said, “It is the man of God, who (o)disobeyed the (p)command 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.”
26 When the prophet who had brought him back from his way heard about it, he said, “He is the man of God who disobeyed the command of the Lord. The Lord has given him to the lion, and it has mauled and killed him, according to the word of the Lord that He spoke to him.”
26 The prophet who had brought the man of God back from the road learned about it. "It's the man of God who disobeyed the message from the LORD," he said. "That's why the LORD gave him to that lion, which mauled him and killed him, just as the message from the LORD told rebuke him."
28 He rode away to find the prophet's body lying on the road. The donkey and the lion were still standing by it. The lion had not eaten the body or attacked the donkey.
28 And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion had not eaten the carcase, nor torn the ass.
28 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.
28 and he went and found the corpse of the man of God thrown on the road with the donkey and the lion standing beside the corpse. The lion had not eaten the corpse or mauled the donkey.
28 The old prophet went out, located the body on the road where the donkey and the lion were standing beside the body. The lion had not eaten the body nor mauled the donkey.
29 The old prophet picked up the body and brought it back to Bethel on the donkey. There he mourned over it and buried it.
29 And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him.
29 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.
29 So the prophet lifted the corpse of the man of God and laid it on the donkey and brought it back. The old prophet came into the city to mourn and bury him.
29 The prophet picked up the body of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back to the city where the old man lived so he could mourn and bury him.
30 He buried it in his own family grave. He and his sons mourned over it, saying: Oh my brother, my brother!
30 And he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!
30 He buried the corpse in his own grave and his family mourned for him, crying out, "Oh, no! My brother!"
31 After the burial the prophet said to his sons: When I die, bury me in this grave and lay my body next to his.
31 And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones:
31 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; (S)lay my bones beside his bones.
31 After he had buried him, he said to his sons, “When I die, you must bury me in the grave where the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones,
31 After he had buried the man of God, he gave these instructions to his children: "When I die, bury me in the same grave in which the man of God is buried. Place my bones beside his,
32 The words that he spoke at Jehovah's command against the altar in Bethel and against all the places of worship in the towns of Samaria will surely come true.
32 For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.
32 (T)For the thing shall surely come to pass which he cried by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel and (U)against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of (V)Samaria.”
32 for the word that he cried out by a revelation from the Lord against the altar in Bethel(U) and against all the shrines of the high places(V) in the cities of Samaria(W) is certain to happen.”(X)
32 because what he predicted by a message from the LORD against the altar in Bethel and the temples built in the high places of the cities of Samaria will certainly come about."
Jeroboam Continues In His Sin
33 King Jeroboam of Israel still did not turn from his evil ways. He continued to choose priests from ordinary families to serve at the altars he had built. He ordained as priest anyone who wanted to be one.
33 After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places.
33 After this event Jeroboam did not return from his evil way, but (W)again he made priests of the high places from among (q)all the people; (X)any who would, he ordained, to be priests of the high places.
33 After all this(Y) Jeroboam did not repent(Z) of his evil way but again set up priests for the high places from every class of people.(AA) He ordained whoever so desired it, and they became priests of the high places.(AB)
33 Despite everything that happened, Jeroboam never did repent of his evil practices. Instead, he appointed even more people to act as priests for the high places. Anyone who wanted to be a priest was ordained to be a priest in the high places.
34 This was the sin of the house of Jeroboam. It brought about its ruin and total destruction from the face of the earth.
34 And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.
34 (r)(Y)This event became sin to the house of Jeroboam, (Z)even to blot it out and destroy it from off the face of the earth.
34 This was the sin that caused the house of Jeroboam to be wiped out and annihilated from the face of the earth.(AC)
34 This practice became so sinful that the LORD decided to erase Jeroboam's dynasty, thus eliminating it from the face of the earth.