1 At the Lord's command a prophet from Judah went to Bethel and arrived there as Jeroboam stood at the altar to offer the sacrifice. 2 Following the Lord's command, the prophet denounced the altar: “O altar, altar, this is what the Lord says: A child, whose name will be Josiah, will be born to the family of David. He will slaughter on you the priests serving at the pagan altars who offer sacrifices on you, and he will burn human bones on you.” 3 And the prophet went on to say, “This altar will fall apart, and the ashes on it will be scattered. Then you will know that the Lord has spoken through me.”
4 When King Jeroboam heard this, he pointed at him and ordered, “Seize that man!” At once the king's arm became paralyzed so that he couldn't pull it back. 5 The altar suddenly fell apart and the ashes spilled to the ground, as the prophet had predicted in the name of the Lord. 6 King Jeroboam said to the prophet, “Please pray for me to the Lord your God, and ask him to heal my arm!”
The prophet prayed to the Lord, and the king's arm was healed. 7 Then the king said to the prophet, “Come home with me and have something to eat. I will reward you for what you have done.”
8 The prophet answered, “Even if you gave me half of your wealth, I would not go with you or eat or drink anything with you. 9 The Lord has commanded me not to eat or drink a thing, and not to return home the same way I came.” 10 So he did not go back the same way he had come, but by another road.
The Old Prophet of Bethel
11 At that time there was an old prophet living in Bethel. His sons came and told him what the prophet from Judah had done in Bethel that day and what he had said to King Jeroboam. 12 “Which way did he go when he left?” the old prophet asked them. They showed him the road 13 and he told them to saddle his donkey for him. They did so, and he rode off 14 down the road after the prophet from Judah and found him sitting under an oak tree. “Are you the prophet from Judah?” he asked.
“I am,” the man answered.
15 “Come home and have a meal with me,” he said.
16 But the prophet from Judah answered, “I can't go home with you or accept your hospitality. And I won't eat or drink anything with you here, 17 because the Lord has commanded me not to eat or drink a thing, and not to return home the same way I came.”
18 Then the old prophet from Bethel said to him, “I, too, am a prophet just like you, and at the Lord's command an angel told me to take you home with me and offer you my hospitality.” But the old prophet was lying.
19 So the prophet from Judah went home with the old prophet and had a meal with him. 20 As they were sitting at the table, the word of the Lord came to the old prophet, 21 and he cried out to the prophet from Judah, “The Lord says that you disobeyed him and did not do what he commanded. 22 Instead, you returned and ate a meal in a place he had ordered you not to eat in. Because of this you will be killed, and your body will not be buried in your family grave.”
23 After they had finished eating, the old prophet saddled the donkey for the prophet from Judah, 24 who rode off. On the way a lion met him and killed him. His body lay on the road, and the donkey and the lion stood beside it. 25 Some men passed by and saw the body on the road, with the lion standing near by. They went on into Bethel and reported what they had seen.
26 When the old prophet heard about it, he said, “That is the prophet who disobeyed the Lord's command! And so the Lord sent the lion to attack and kill him, just as the Lord said he would.” 27 Then he said to his sons, “Saddle my donkey for me.” They did so, 28 and he rode off and found the prophet's body lying on the road, with the donkey and the lion still standing by it. The lion had not eaten the body or attacked the donkey. 29 The old prophet picked up the body, put it on the donkey, and brought it back to Bethel to mourn over it and bury it. 30 He buried it in his own family grave, and he and his sons mourned over it, saying, “Oh my brother, my brother!” 31 After the burial the prophet said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in this grave and lay my body next to his. 32 The words that he spoke at the Lord's command against the altar in Bethel and against all the places of worship in the towns of Samaria will surely come true.”
Jeroboam's Fatal Sin
33 King Jeroboam of Israel still did not turn from his evil ways but continued to choose priests from ordinary families to serve at the altars he had built. He ordained as priest anyone who wanted to be one. 34 This sin on his part brought about the ruin and total destruction of his dynasty.
Dieva vīrs no Jūdas
1 Redzi, kāds Dieva vīrs nāca no Jūdas Kunga vārdā uz Bēteli. Jārobāms stāvēja pie altāra un kvēpināja. 2 Un tas vīrs sauca pret altāri Kunga vārdu un sacīja: “Altāri, ak, altāri, tā saka Kungs: redzi, Dāvida namā dzims dēls, vārdā Jošijāhu, un viņš upurēs uz tevis augstieņu priesterus, kas uz tevis kvēpina, un uz tevis dedzinās cilvēku kaulus!” 3 Un todien viņš deva zīmi: “Šī ir zīme, ko Kungs sacījis: redzi, altāris pāršķelsies un nobirs pelni, kas uz tā!” 4 Kad ķēniņš Jārobāms dzirdēja Dieva vīra vārdus, kurus tas sauca pret altāri Bētelē, viņš izstiepa roku no altāra un sacīja: “Sagrābiet viņu!” Bet roka, kuru viņš bija izstiepis, nokalta, un viņš nevarēja to saliekt. 5 Altāris pāršķēlās, un pelni nobira no altāra – tā bija zīme, ko Dieva vīrs bija devis Kunga vārdā. 6 Tad ķēniņš sacīja Dieva vīram: “Lūdz jel Kungu, savu Dievu, aizlūdz par mani, lai mana roka kļūst vesela!” Un Dieva vīrs lūdza Kungu, un ķēniņa roka atkal kļuva vesela kā iepriekš. 7 Ķēniņš teica Dieva vīram: “Nāc jel ar mani manā namā un atspirdzinies, un es tev došu dāvanu.” 8 Bet Dieva vīrs sacīja ķēniņam: “Pat ja tu dosi man pusi sava nama, es neiešu ar tevi – neēdīšu maizi un nedzeršu ūdeni šajā vietā, 9 jo Kunga vārdā man ir pavēlēts: neēd maizi un nedzer ūdeni, neatgriezies pa to pašu ceļu, pa kuru atnāci.” 10 Un viņš aizgāja pa citu ceļu un neatgriezās pa to ceļu, pa kuru bija nācis uz Bēteli.
11 Bētelē dzīvoja kāds vecs pravietis. Viņa dēli nāca un atstāstīja visu, ko Dieva vīrs todien bija darījis Bētelē, un viņi atstāstīja savam tēvam arī to, ko viņš bija teicis ķēniņam. 12 Tēvs tiem jautāja: “Pa kuru ceļu viņš aizgāja?” Dēli bija redzējuši, pa kuru ceļu aizgāja Dieva vīrs, kas bija nācis no Jūdas. 13 Tad viņš sacīja saviem dēliem: “Apseglojiet man ēzeli.” Tie viņam apsegloja ēzeli, un viņš aizjāja. 14 Viņš sekoja Dieva vīram un atrada to sēžam zem ozola. Viņš tam sacīja: “Vai tu esi Dieva vīrs, kurš nācis no Jūdas?” Un tas teica: “Jā.” 15 Un viņš tam sacīja: “Nāc pie manis namā un ēd maizi.” 16 Un tas sacīja: “Es nevaru atgriezties un iet tev līdzi, es neēdīšu maizi un nedzeršu ūdeni ar tevi šajā vietā, 17 jo man Kunga vārdā ir teikts: neēd tur maizi un nedzer ūdeni, neatgriezies pa to pašu ceļu, pa kuru atnāci.” 18 Bet viņš tam sacīja: “Arī es esmu pravietis tāpat kā tu, un eņģelis man ir teicis Kunga vārdā: atved viņu savā namā, lai tas ēd maizi un dzer ūdeni,” – bet viņš tam meloja. 19 Tas atgriezās kopā ar viņu un ēda maizi un dzēra ūdeni viņa namā.
20 Kamēr tie sēdēja pie galda, Dieva vārds nāca pār pravieti, kas bija viņu atvedis atpakaļ. 21 Viņš sauca uz Dieva vīru, kas bija atnācis no Jūdas: “Tā saka Kungs: tādēļ ka tu neklausīji Kunga vārdam un neievēroji pavēli, ko Kungs, tavs Dievs, tev deva, 22 bet atgriezies un ēdi maizi un dzēri ūdeni šajā vietā, kur tev bija pavēlēts neēst maizi un nedzert ūdeni, tādēļ tavs līķis nenonāks tavu tēvu kapā!” 23 Kad pravietis, ko viņš bija atvedis atpakaļ, bija ēdis maizi un padzēries, viņš tam apsegloja ēzeli, 24 un tas aizjāja. Ceļā viņu sastapa lauva un to nogalināja – viņa līķis gulēja uz ceļa, un ēzelis stāvēja tam blakus, un arī lauva stāvēja blakus līķim. 25 Un, redzi, vīri gāja garām un redzēja līķi guļam uz ceļa un lauvu stāvam blakus līķim. Un tie iegāja pilsētā, kur dzīvoja vecais pravietis, un to izstāstīja.
26 To dzirdēja pravietis, kas viņu bija novērsis no ceļa, un viņš sacīja: “Tas ir Dieva vīrs, kas nepaklausīja Kunga vārdam, un Kungs viņu atdeva lauvam, un tas viņu saplēsa un nonāvēja, kā Kunga vārds par viņu bija sacīts.” 27 Viņš sacīja saviem dēliem: “Apseglojiet man ēzeli!” – un tie apsegloja. 28 Viņš devās turp un atrada līķi guļam uz ceļa un lauvu stāvam līķim blakus – lauva nebija ne ēdis līķi, ne plēsis ēzeli. 29 Un pravietis pacēla Dieva vīra līķi, lika to uz ēzeļa un atveda atpakaļ pilsētā. Vecais pravietis to apraudāja un apbedīja. 30 Viņš ielika tā līķi savās kapenēs, un viņi to apraudāja: “Vai, mans brāli!” 31 Kad viņš bija to apbedījis, viņš sacīja saviem dēliem: “Kad es nomiršu, apglabājiet mani kapā, kur ir apbedīts Dieva vīrs, lieciet manus kaulus blakus viņa kauliem, 32 tad piepildīsies tas, ko viņš Kunga vārdā sauca pret Bēteles altāri un tempļiem Samarijas pilsētu augstienēs.”
33 Arī pēc tam Jārobāms neatgriezās no sava ļaunā ceļa, bet gāja un iecēla augstieņu priesterus no visas tautas – katram, kas gribēja, viņš deva amatu, un tas kļuva par augstieņu priesteri. 34 Tas bija Jārobāma nama grēks, kura dēļ tie tapa izskausti un iznīcināti no zemes virsas.
