4 Kingdoms (LXX)

Chapter 1

And Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Achaab. 2 And Ochozias fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria and was sick, and he sent messengers, and said to them, Go and inquire of Baal, the fly god of Akkaron, whether I shall recover from this my sickness. And they went to enquire of him. 3 And an angel of the Lord called Elijah the Thesbite, saying, Arise, and go to meet the messengers of Ochozias the King of Samaria, and thou shall say to them, Is it because there is no God in Israel that ye go to inquire of Baal the fly god of Akkaron? But it shall not be so. 4 For thus saith the Lord, The bed on which thou art gone up, thou shall not come down from it, for by death ye shall die. And Elijah went, and spoke thus to them. 5 And the messengers returned to him, and he said to them, Why have ye returned? 6 And they said to him, A man came up to meet us, and said to us, Go, return to the king that sent you, and say to him, Thus saith the Lord, Is it because there is no God in Israel, that thou goes to inquire of Baal the fly god of Akkaron? Not so; the bed on which thou art gone up, thou shall not come down from it, for by death you shall die. 7 And he spoke to them, saying, What was the acumen of the man who went up to meet you, and spoke to you these words? 8 And they said to him, He was a hairy man, and wearing a leather belt about his waist. And he said, This is Elijah the Thesbite. 9 And he sent to him a leader, a captain of fifty, and his fifty men. And he went up * to him, and, behold, Elijah was sitting on the top of the mountain. And the captain of the fifty spoke to him, and said, O man of God, the king has summoned thee, come down. 10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, and if I am a man of God, fire will come down from heaven, and devour thee and thy fifty men. And fire came down fom heaven, and devoured him and his fifty men. 11 And the king went and sent again to him another captain of fifty, and his fifty men. And he went up and, the captain of the fifty spoke to him, and said, O man of God, thus says the king, Come down quickly! 12 And Elijah answered and spoke to him, and said, If I am a man of God, fire will come down from heaven, and devour thee and thy fifty men. And fire came down from heaven, and devoured him and his fifty men. 13 And the king proceeded still to send another leader, a captain of fifty, and his fifty men. And the third captain of fifty went to him, and knelt on his knees before Elijah, and entreated him, and spoke to him and said, O man of God, do let my life, and the life of these thy fifty servants, be precious in thine eyes. 14 Behold, fire came down from heaven, and devoured the first two captains of fifty, and their fifty men, but now, do let my life * be precious in thine eyes. 15 And an angel of the Lord spoke to Elijah, and said, Go down with him, do not be afraid before their face. And Elijah rose up, and went down with him to the king. 16 And Elijah spoke to him, and said, Thus saith the Lord, Why have thou sent messengers to inquire of Baal the fly god of Akkaron? It shall not be so; the bed on which thou art gone up, thou shall not come down from it, for by death ye shall die. 17 And he died according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken. 18 And the rest of the acts of Ochozias which he did, behold, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Days of the kings of Israel? 18a And Joram the son of Achaab reigned over Israel in Samaria twelve years in the eighteenth year of Josaphat the King of Judah. 18b And he did that which was evil before the Lord, yet not like his brothers, nor like his mother. 18c and he removed the pillars of Baal that his father had made, and broke them in pieces. Yet, he held onto the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel to sin; he did not depart from them. 18d And the Lord was enraged with anger against the house of Achaab.

* Codex Alexandrinus adds: “and came”.

* Codex Alexandrinus adds: “and those of my fifty men, thy servants”.
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