A reading from the book of Second Kings.

After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel.

Now Aeusiah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria and lay sick,

so he sent messengers telling them, go inquire of Beelzebub, the god of Echran,

whether I shall recover from this sickness. But the angel of the Lord

said to Elijah the Tishbite, arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them,

is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Beelzebub, the God of Echran?

Now therefore, thus says the Lord, you shall not come down from the bed

to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die. So Elijah went. The messengers returned to the king,

and he said to them, why have you returned? And they said to him, there came a man to meet us and said to us,

go back to the king who sent you, and say to him, thus says the Lord,

is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Bielzab, the God of

Echran? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall

surely die. He said to them, What kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things?

They answered him. He wore a garment of hair with a belt of leather about his waist.

And he said, it is Elijah the Tishbite. Then the king sent to him, a captain of 50 men with his 50.

He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill and said to him,

O man of God, the king says, come down. But Elijah answered the captain of 50. If I am a man of God,

let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your 50. Then fire came down from heaven

and consumed him and his 50. Again the king sent to him another captain of 50 men with his

50, and he answered and said to him, O man of God, this is the king's order, come down quickly. But Elijah

answered them, if I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you in your 50.

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