1 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.

And behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord to Bethel. Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.

2 T he 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.’”

The man cried against the altar by the word of the Lord, O altar, altar, thus says the Lord: Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and on you shall he offer the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be burned on you.

3 H e 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.’”

And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord has spoken: Behold, the altar shall be split and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.

4 W hen 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.

When King Jeroboam heard the words the man of God cried against the altar in Bethel, he thrust out his hand, saying, Lay hold on him! And his hand which he put forth against him dried up, so that he could not draw it to him again.

5 T he 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.

The altar also was split 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.

6 T he 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.

And the king said to the man of God, Entreat now the favor of the Lord your God and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me. And the man of God entreated the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored and became as it was before.

7 T hen 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.”

And the king said to the man of God, Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.

8 B ut 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.

And the man of God said to the king, If you give me half your house, I will not go in with you, and I will not eat bread or drink water in this place.

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

For I was commanded by the word of the Lord, You shall eat no bread or drink water or return by the way you came.

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

So he went another way and did not return by the way that he came to Bethel.

11 N ow 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.

Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all that the man of God had done that day in Bethel; the words which he had spoken to the king they told also to their father.

12 T heir 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.

Their father asked them, Which way did he go? For his sons had seen which way the man of God who came from Judah had gone.

13 T hen 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.

He said to his sons, Saddle the donkey for me. So they saddled the donkey and he rode on it

14 H e 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.”

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

15 T hen he said to 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 cannot return with you or go with you. I will not eat bread or drink water with you in this place.

He said, I may not return with you or go in with you, neither will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place.

17 F or 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.’”

For I was told by the word of the Lord, You shall not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way that you came.

18 A nd 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.

He answered, I am a prophet also, as you are. And 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 returned with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water.

So the man from Judah went back with him and ate and drank water in his house.

20 A s 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.

And as they sat at the table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet who brought him back.

21 A nd 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.

And he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, Thus says the Lord: Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord and have not kept the command which the Lord your God commanded you,

22 Y ou 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.’”

But have come back and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which the Lord said to you, Eat no bread and drink no water—your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.

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

And after the prophet of the house had eaten bread and drunk, he saddled the donkey for the man he had brought back.

24 W hen 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.

And when he had gone, a lion met him by the road and slew him, and his corpse was cast in the way, and the donkey stood by it; the lion also stood by the corpse.

25 T hen 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.

And behold, men passed by and saw the corpse thrown in the road, and the lion standing by the corpse, and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.

26 W hen 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.”

When the prophet who brought him back from the way heard of it, he said, It is the man of God who was disobedient to the word of the Lord; therefore the Lord has given him to the lion, which has torn him and slain him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to him.

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

And he said to his sons, Saddle the donkey for me. And they saddled it.

28 T hen 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.

And he went and found the corpse thrown in the road, and the donkey and the lion stood by the body; the lion had not eaten the corpse or torn the donkey.

29 S o 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.

The prophet took up the corpse of the man of God and laid it upon the donkey and brought it back, and the old prophet came into the city to mourn and to bury him.

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

And he laid the body in his own grave, and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!

31 A fter 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.

After he had buried him, he said to his sons, When I am dead, bury me in the grave in which the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones.

32 F or 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

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.

33 A fter 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.

After this thing, Jeroboam turned not from his evil way, but made priests for the high places again from among all the people. Whoever would, he consecrated, that there might be priests for the high places.

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

And this thing became the sin of the dynasty of Jeroboam that caused it to be abolished and destroyed from the face of the earth.