1Kings 13

A Prophet Denounces Jeroboam

13At the LORD's command, a man of God from Judah went to Bethel, arriving there just as Jeroboam was approaching the altar to burn incense.H935H376H430H3063H1697H3068H1008H3379H5975H4196H69992Then at the LORD's command, he shouted, "O altar, altar! This is what the LORD says: A child named Josiah will be born into the dynasty of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests from the pagan shrines who come here to burn incense, and human bones will be burned on you."H7121H4196H1697H3068H559H4196H4196H559H3068H1121H3205H1004H1732H2977H8034H2076H3548H1116H6999H120H6106H83133That same day the man of God gave a sign to prove his message. He said, "The LORD has promised to give this sign: This altar will split apart, and its ashes will be poured out on the ground."H5414H4159H3117H559H4159H3068H1696H4196H7167H1880H82104When King Jeroboam heard the man of God speaking against the altar at Bethel, he pointed at him and shouted, "Seize that man!" But instantly the king's hand became paralyzed in that position, and he couldn't pull it back.H4428H3379H8085H1697H376H430H7121H4196H1008H7971H3027H4196H559H8610H3027H7971H3001H3201H77255At the same time a wide crack appeared in the altar, and the ashes poured out, just as the man of God had predicted in his message from the LORD.H4196H7167H1880H8210H4196H4159H376H430H5414H1697H30686The king cried out to the man of God, "Please ask the LORD your God to restore my hand again!" So the man of God prayed to the LORD, and the king's hand was restored and he could move it again.H4428H6030H559H376H430H2470H6440H3068H430H6419H3027H7725H376H430H2470H6440H3068H4428H3027H7725H72237Then the king said to the man of God, "Come to the palace with me and have something to eat, and I will give you a gift."H4428H1696H376H430H935H1004H5582H5414H49918But the man of God said to the king, "Even if you gave me half of everything you own, I would not go with you. I would not eat or drink anything in this place.H376H430H559H4428H5414H2677H1004H935H398H3899H8354H4325H47259For the LORD gave me this command: 'You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.'"H6680H1697H3068H559H398H3899H8354H4325H7725H1870H198010So he left Bethel and went home another way.H3212H312H1870H7725H1870H935H100811As it happened, there was an old prophet living in Bethel, and his sons

came home and told him what the man of God had done in Bethel that day. They also told their father what the man had said to the king.H3427H259H2205H5030H1008H1121H935H5608H4639H376H430H6213H3117H1008H1697H1696H4428H5608H112The old prophet asked them, "Which way did he go?" So they showed their father

which road the man of God had taken.H1H1696H1870H1980H1121H7200H335H1870H376H430H1980H935H306313"Quick, saddle the donkey," the old man said. So they saddled the donkey for him, and he mounted it.H559H1121H2280H2543H2280H2543H739214Then he rode after the man of God and found him sitting under a great tree. The old prophet asked him, "Are you the man of God who came from Judah?" "Yes, I am," he replied.H3212H310H376H430H4672H3427H424H559H376H430H935H3063H55915Then he said to the man of God, "Come home with me and eat some food."H559H3212H1004H398H389916"No, I cannot," he replied. "I am not allowed to eat or drink anything here in this place.H559H3201H7725H935H398H3899H8354H4325H472517For the LORD gave me this command: 'You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.'"H1697H1697H3068H398H3899H8354H4325H7725H3212H1870H198018But the old prophet answered, "I am a prophet, too, just as you are. And an angel gave me this command from the LORD: 'Bring him home with you so he can have something to eat and drink.'" But the old man was lying to him.H559H5030H4397H1696H1697H3068H559H7725H1004H398H3899H8354H4325H358419So they went back together, and the man of God ate and drank at the prophet's home.H7725H398H3899H1004H8354H432520Then while they were sitting at the table, a command from the LORD came to the old prophet.H3427H7979H1697H3068H5030H772521He cried out to the man of God from Judah, "This is what the LORD says: You have defied the word of the LORD and have disobeyed the command the LORD your God gave you.H7121H376H430H935H3063H559H559H3068H3282H4784H6310H3068H8104H4687H3068H430H668022You came back to this place and ate and drank where he told you not to eat or drink. Because of this, your body will not be buried in the grave of your ancestors."H7725H398H3899H8354H4325H4725H1696H398H3899H8354H4325H5038H935H6913H123After the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the old prophet saddled his own donkey for him,H310H398H3899H310H8354H2280H2543H5030H772524and the man of God started off again. But as he was traveling along, a lion came out and killed him. His body lay there on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it.H3212H738H4672H1870H4191H5038H7993H1870H2543H5975H681H738H5975H503825People who passed by saw the body lying in the road and the lion standing beside it, and they went and reported it in Bethel, where the old prophet lived.H582H5674H7200H5038H7993H1870H738H5975H681H5038H935H1696H5892H2205H5030H342726When the prophet heard the report, he said, "It is the man of God who disobeyed the LORD's command. The LORD has fulfilled his word by causing the lion to attack and kill him."H5030H7725H1870H8085H559H376H430H4784H6310H3068H3068H5414H738H7665H4191H1697H3068H169627Then the prophet said to his sons, "Saddle a donkey for me." So they saddled a donkey,H1696H1121H559H2280H2543H228028and he went out and found the body lying in the road. The donkey and lion were still standing there beside it, for the lion had not eaten the body nor attacked the donkey.H3212H4672H5038H7993H1870H2543H738H5975H681H5038H738H398H5038H7665H254329So the prophet laid the body of the man of God on the donkey and took it back to the town to mourn over him and bury him.H5030H5375H5038H376H430H3240H2543H7725H2205H5030H935H5892H5594H691230He laid the body in his own grave, crying out in grief, "Oh, my brother!"H3240H5038H6913H5594H1945H25131Afterward the prophet 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.H310H6912H559H1121H559H4191H6912H6913H376H430H6912H3240H6106H681H610632For the message the LORD told him to proclaim against the altar in Bethel and against the pagan shrines in the towns of Samaria will certainly come true."H1697H7121H1697H3068H4196H1008H1004H1116H5892H811133But even after this, Jeroboam did not turn from his evil ways. He continued to choose priests from the common people. He appointed anyone who wanted to become a priest for the pagan shrines.H310H1697H3379H7725H7451H1870H6213H7725H7098H5971H3548H1116H2655H4390H3027H3548H111634This became a great sin and resulted in the utter destruction of Jeroboam's dynasty from the face of the earth.H1697H2403H1004H3379H3582H8045H6440H127