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, a man of God came out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel; and 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.’”

And he cried against the altar by the word of the LORD and said, O altar, altar, thus hath the LORD said: Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee.

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 rent, and the ashes with the burnt fat 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.

And when King Jeroboam heard the word of the man of God, who had cried out 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.

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 rent, and the ashes with the burnt fat were 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.

Then 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.

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 unto the man of God, Come home with me and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a gift.

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.

But the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thy house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor 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 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.

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 the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel; they also told their father the words which he had spoken unto the king.

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.

And their father said unto them, What way did he go? And his sons showed him the way the man of God had gone, who had come from Judah.

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.

And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass, and he rode thereon

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 found him sitting under an oak; and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that didst come from Judah? And he said, I am.

15 T hen he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.”

Then he said unto 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.

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,

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 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.

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.

And the other said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art, and an angel spoke unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thy house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.

19 S o he returned with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water.

So he went back with him and ate bread in his house and drank water.

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 it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that 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 unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus hath the LORD said, Forasmuch as thou hast rebelled against the mouth of the LORD and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee,

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 didst come back and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of 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.

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 when he had eaten of the bread and after he had drunk, the prophet that had brought him back saddled an ass for him,

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 as he went, a lion met him by the way and slew him, and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, and the lion also stood by the carcase.

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 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.

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.”

And when the prophet that had brought him back from the way heard of it, he said, It is the man of God, who rebelled against the word of the LORD; therefore, the LORD has delivered him unto the lion, who has torn him and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke unto him.

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

And he spoke to his sons, saying, Saddle me an ass. And they saddled it for him.

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 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.

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.

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.

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

And he laid his carcase 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.

And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre 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 that which he proclaimed 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 did not return from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places; whoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of 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 became the cause of sin unto the house of Jeroboam for which it was cut off and destroyed from off the face of the earth.