1 Kings 13
A Prophet Deceived by Another Prophet’s Word
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The Man of God Cries Against the Altar
13:1Look, a man of God came from Judah to Bethel by the Lord’s word, while Jeroboam stood at the altar to offer sacrifice.
13:2He called to the altar by the Lord’s word: “Altar, altar! Thus says the Lord: Look, a son shall be born to David’s house, Josiah by name. He will sacrifice upon you the priests of the high places who offer sacrifice upon you, and he will burn human bones upon you.”
13:3He gave a portent that day, saying, “This is the word the Lord has spoken: Look, the altar will split, and the fat upon it will pour out.”
13:4When King Jeroboam heard the words of the man of God who had called against the altar in Bethel, the king stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him!” Look, the hand he stretched out against him withered, and he could not draw it back.
13:5The altar split, and the fat poured from the altar, according to the portent the man of God had given by the Lord’s word.
13:6King Jeroboam said to the man of God, “Entreat the favor of the Lord your God, and let my hand be restored to me.” The man of God entreated the Lord’s favor, and he restored the king’s hand to him, so it became as it had been before.
13:7The king said to the man of God, “Come into the house with me and eat a meal, and I will give you a gift.”
13:8The man of God said to the king, “Even if you give me half your house, I will not go in with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water in this place.
13:9For the Lord commanded me by a word: ‘Do not eat bread, drink water, or return by the road you traveled.’”
13:10He went by another road and did not return by the road on which he had come to Bethel.
The Old Prophet of Bethel
13:11An old prophet lived in Bethel. His sons came and told him all the deeds the man of God had done that day in Bethel and the words he had spoken to the king; they turned their father’s attention toward it.
13:12Their father said to them, “Which road has he taken?” His sons showed him the road by which the man of God who came from Judah had gone up.
13:13He said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” They saddled the donkey for him, and he mounted it.
13:14He went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak. He said to him, “Are you the man of God who has come from Judah?” He answered, “I am.”
13:15He said to him, “Come with me and eat bread.”
13:16He said, “I cannot return with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water in this place,
13:17because the Lord commanded me by a word, ‘Do not eat bread there or drink water there, nor return by the road you traveled.’”
13:18He said to him, “I too am a prophet like you. An angel has spoken to me by the Lord’s word, saying, ‘Bring him back to yourself, to your house, and let him eat bread and drink water.’” He lied to him.
13:19He brought him back, and he ate bread and drank water in his house.
The Word Against the Man of God
13:20While they were sitting at the table, the Lord’s word came to the prophet who had brought him back.
13:21He said to the man of God who had come from Judah, “Thus says the Lord: Because you defied the Lord’s word and did not keep the commandment the Lord your God gave you,
13:22and returned, ate bread, and drank water in this place where He told you, ‘Do not eat bread or drink water,’ your body shall certainly not enter your fathers’ tomb.”
The Lion on the Road
13:23After eating bread and drinking water, he saddled the donkey for him, and he returned.
13:24He went away, and a lion met him on the road and killed him. His body lay thrown on the road, with the donkey standing beside it and the lion standing beside the body.
13:25Look, men passed by and saw the dead body thrown on the road, with the lion standing beside the dead body. They came and reported it in the city where the old prophet lived.
13:26The one who had brought him back from the road heard and said, “This is the man of God who defied the Lord’s word.”
13:28He went and found his body thrown on the road, with the donkey and lion standing beside the body. The lion had not eaten the man of God’s body or crushed the donkey.
13:29The prophet lifted the man of God’s body and laid it on the donkey. The prophet brought him back into the city to bury him
13:30in his own tomb; and they mourned him, “Alas, brother!”
13:31After mourning him, he said to his sons, “If I die, bury me in this tomb where the man of God is buried. Place me beside his bones, so that my bones may be preserved with his bones,
13:32because the word he spoke by the Lord’s word against the altar in Bethel and against the high houses in Samaria will surely come to pass.”
Jeroboam Does Not Turn from His Evil
13:33After this matter, Jeroboam did not turn from his evil. He again appointed priests of high places from some of the people. Whoever wished, he consecrated, and that person became a priest for the high places.
13:34This matter became a sin for Jeroboam’s house, bringing destruction and disappearance from the face of the earth.
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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.