1Kings 13
13By the word of the LORD a man of God came from Judah to Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make an offering.H935H376H430H3063H1697H3068H1008H3379H5975H4196H69992He cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD: "O altar, altar! This is what the LORD says: 'A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who now make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.'"H7121H4196H1697H3068H559H4196H4196H559H3068H1121H3205H1004H1732H2977H8034H2076H3548H1116H6999H120H6106H83133That same day the man of God gave a sign: "This is the sign the LORD has declared: The altar will be split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out."H5414H4159H3117H559H4159H3068H1696H4196H7167H1880H82104When King Jeroboam heard what the man of God cried out against the altar at Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar and said, "Seize him!" But the hand he stretched out toward the man shriveled up, so that he could not pull it back.H4428H3379H8085H1697H376H430H7121H4196H1008H7971H3027H4196H559H8610H3027H7971H3001H3201H77255Also, the altar was split apart and its ashes poured out according to the sign given by the man of God by the word of the LORD.H4196H7167H1880H8210H4196H4159H376H430H5414H1697H30686Then the king said to the man of God, "Intercede with the LORD your God and pray for me that my hand may be restored." So the man of God interceded with the LORD, and the king's hand was restored and became as it was before.H4428H6030H559H376H430H2470H6440H3068H430H6419H3027H7725H376H430H2470H6440H3068H4428H3027H7725H72237The king said to the man of God, "Come home with me and have something to eat, and I will give you a gift."H4428H1696H376H430H935H1004H5582H5414H49918But the man of God answered the king, "Even if you were to give me half your possessions, I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water here.H376H430H559H4428H5414H2677H1004H935H398H3899H8354H4325H47259For I was commanded by the word of the LORD: 'You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.'"H6680H1697H3068H559H398H3899H8354H4325H7725H1870H198010So he took another road and did not return by the way he had come to Bethel.H3212H312H1870H7725H1870H935H100811Now there was a certain old prophet living in Bethel, whose sons came and told him all that the man of God had done there that day. They also told their father what he had said to the king.H3427H259H2205H5030H1008H1121H935H5608H4639H376H430H6213H3117H1008H1697H1696H4428H5608H112Their father asked them, "Which way did he go?" And his sons showed him which road the man of God from Judah had taken.H1H1696H1870H1980H1121H7200H335H1870H376H430H1980H935H306313So he said to his sons, "Saddle the donkey for me." And when they had saddled the donkey for him, he mounted itH559H1121H2280H2543H2280H2543H739214and rode after the man of God. He found him sitting under an oak tree and asked, "Are you the man of God who came from Judah?" "I am," he replied.H3212H310H376H430H4672H3427H424H559H376H430H935H3063H55915So the prophet said to him, "Come home with me and eat."H559H3212H1004H398H389916The man of God said, "I cannot turn back and go with you, nor can I eat bread or drink water with you in this place.H559H3201H7725H935H398H3899H8354H4325H472517I have been told by the word of the LORD: 'You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came.'"H1697H1697H3068H398H3899H8354H4325H7725H3212H1870H198018The old prophet answered, "I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said 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.'" (But he was lying to him.)H559H5030H4397H1696H1697H3068H559H7725H1004H398H3899H8354H4325H358419So the man of God returned with him and ate and drank in his house.H7725H398H3899H1004H8354H432520While they were sitting at the table, the word of the LORD came to the old prophet who had brought him back.H3427H7979H1697H3068H5030H772521He cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, "This is what the LORD says: 'You have defied the word of the LORD and have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you.H7121H376H430H935H3063H559H559H3068H3282H4784H6310H3068H8104H4687H3068H430H668022You came back and ate bread and drank water in the place where he told you not to eat or drink. Therefore your body will not be buried in the tomb of your fathers.'"H7725H398H3899H8354H4325H4725H1696H398H3899H8354H4325H5038H935H6913H123When the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the prophet who had brought him back saddled his donkey for him.H310H398H3899H310H8354H2280H2543H5030H772524As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was thrown down on the road, with both the donkey and the lion standing beside it.H3212H738H4672H1870H4191H5038H7993H1870H2543H5975H681H738H5975H503825Some people who passed by saw the body thrown down there, with the lion standing beside the body, and they went and reported it in the city where the old prophet lived.H582H5674H7200H5038H7993H1870H738H5975H681H5038H935H1696H5892H2205H5030H342726When the prophet who had brought him back from his journey heard of it, he said, "It is the man of God who defied the word of the LORD. The LORD has given him over to the lion, which has mauled him and killed him, as the word of the LORD had warned him."H5030H7725H1870H8085H559H376H430H4784H6310H3068H3068H5414H738H7665H4191H1697H3068H169627The prophet said to his sons, "Saddle the donkey for me," and they did so.H1696H1121H559H2280H2543H228028Then he went out and found the body thrown down on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The lion had neither eaten the body nor mauled the donkey.H3212H4672H5038H7993H1870H2543H738H5975H681H5038H738H398H5038H7665H254329So the prophet picked up the body of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back to his own city to mourn for him and bury him.H5030H5375H5038H376H430H3240H2543H7725H2205H5030H935H5892H5594H691230Then he laid the body in his own tomb, and they mourned over him and said, "Oh, my brother!"H3240H5038H6913H5594H1945H25131After burying 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.H310H6912H559H1121H559H4191H6912H6913H376H430H6912H3240H6106H681H610632For the message he declared by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines on the high places in the towns of Samaria will certainly come true."H1697H7121H1697H3068H4196H1008H1004H1116H5892H811133Even after this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways, but once more appointed priests for the high places from all sorts of people. Anyone who wanted to become a priest he consecrated for the high places.H310H1697H3379H7725H7451H1870H6213H7725H7098H5971H3548H1116H2655H4390H3027H3548H111634This was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its downfall and to its destruction from the face of the earth.H1697H2403H1004H3379H3582H8045H6440H127
Columbus, OH
