1 A nd, 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.

A man of God came from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord. Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn special perfume.

2 A nd 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.

The man cried against the altar by the word of the Lord, and said, “O altar, altar, this is what the Lord says. ‘See, a son will be born to the family of David. His name will be Josiah. On you he will burn the religious leaders of the high places who burn special perfume on you. Human bones will be burned on you.’”

3 A nd 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.

He gave a special thing to be seen the same day. He said, “This is what the Lord says will be seen. ‘See, the altar will be broken in two. And the ashes on it will be poured out.’”

4 A nd 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.

When King Jeroboam heard the words the man of God cried against the altar in Bethel, he put out his hand from the altar, saying, “Take hold of him!” But his hand which he put out against him dried up. So he could not pull it back to himself.

5 T he 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.

The altar was broken in two and the ashes were poured out. It was the special thing to see that happened just as the man of God said it would by the word of the Lord.

6 A nd 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.

The king said to the man of God, “I beg you, ask for the favor of the Lord your God. Pray for me, that my hand may be made well again.” So the man of God asked for the Lord’s favor. And the king’s hand was made well again. It became as it was before.

7 A nd the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.

Then the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and have something to eat to make yourself strong again. And I will pay you.”

8 A nd 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:

But the man of God said to the king, “I would not go with you if you were to give me half your house. I would not eat bread or drink water in this place.

9 F or 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.

For the word of the Lord said to me, ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.’”

10 S o he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.

So he went another way. He did not return by the way he came to Bethel. The Death of the Man of God

11 N ow 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.

Now an old man who spoke for God was living in Bethel. His sons came and told him all the things which the man of God had done that day in Bethel. And they told their father the words which the man had spoken to the king.

12 A nd 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.

Their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” Now his sons had seen the way which the man of God who came from Judah had gone.

13 A nd he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon,

Then he said to his sons, “Get the donkey ready for me.” So they got the donkey ready for him, and he went away on it.

14 A nd 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.

He went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak tree. He said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.”

15 T hen he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.

Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.”

16 A nd 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:

And he said, “I cannot return with you or go with you. I will not eat bread or drink water with you in this place.

17 F or 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.

For I was told by the word of the Lord, ‘Do not eat bread or drink water there. Do not return by the way you came.’”

18 H e 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.

And he said to him, “I am a man who speaks for God like you. 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 he lied to him.

19 S o he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.

So he returned with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water.

20 A nd it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back:

As they were sitting down at the table, the word of the Lord came to the man who spoke for God who had brought him back.

21 A nd 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,

And he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “This is what the Lord says, ‘You have not obeyed the word of the Lord. You have not done what the Lord your God told you to do.

22 B ut 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.

You have returned and eaten bread and drunk water in the place the Lord said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water.” So now your body will not come to the grave of your fathers.’”

23 A nd 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.

And after he had eaten bread and drunk, he got the donkey ready for the man of God whom he had brought back.

24 A nd 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.

When he had gone, a lion met him on the way and killed him. His body was thrown on the road, with the donkey standing beside it. The lion stood beside the body also.

25 A nd, 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.

Then men passed by and saw the body thrown on the road, and the lion standing beside the body. So they came and told about it in the city where the old man who spoke for God lived.

26 A nd 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.

When the man who spoke for God who had brought him back from the way heard about it, he said, “It is the man of God. He did not obey the word of the Lord. So the Lord has given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him. It was done as had been spoken to him by the word of the Lord.”

27 A nd he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled him.

Then he said to his sons, “Get the donkey ready for me.” And they got it ready.

28 A nd 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.

Then he went and found his body thrown on the road with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The lion had not eaten the body or torn the donkey.

29 A nd 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.

So the man who spoke for God picked up the body of the man of God and laid it on the donkey, and returned with it to the city. He had sorrow for him and buried him.

30 A nd he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!

He laid his body in his own grave, and they had sorrow for him, saying, “O, my brother!”

31 A nd 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:

After he had buried him, he said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the grave where the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones.

32 F or 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.

For what he cried by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel and against all the houses of the high places in the cities of Samaria will happen for sure.” Jeroboam’s Sinful Way

33 A fter 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.

After this, Jeroboam did not return from his sinful way. Again he made religious leaders of the high places from among all the people. He set apart any of them who were willing to be religious leaders of the high places.

34 A nd 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.

This became the sin of the family of Jeroboam, that caused it to be cut off and destroyed from the earth.