1 Por ordem do Senhor um homem de Deus foi de Judá a Betel, quando Jeroboão estava de pé junto ao altar para queimar incenso.2 Ele clamou contra o altar, segundo a ordem do Senhor: "Ó altar, ó altar! Assim diz o Senhor: ‘Um filho nascerá na família de Davi e se chamará Josias. Sobre você ele sacrificará os sacerdotes dos altares idólatras que agora queimam incenso aqui, e ossos humanos serão queimados sobre você’ ".3 Naquele mesmo dia o homem de Deus deu um sinal: "Este é o sinal que o Senhor declarou: O altar se fenderá, e as cinzas que estão sobre ele se derramarão".4 Quando o rei Jeroboão ouviu o que o homem de Deus proclamava contra o altar de Betel, apontou para ele e ordenou: "Prendam-no! " Mas o braço que ele tinha estendido ficou paralisado, e não voltava ao normal.5 Além disso, o altar se fendeu, e as suas cinzas se derramaram, conforme o sinal dado pelo homem de Deus por ordem do Senhor.6 Então o rei disse ao homem de Deus: "Interceda junto ao Senhor, o seu Deus, e ore por mim para que meu braço se recupere". O homem de Deus intercedeu junto ao Senhor, e o braço do rei recuperou-se e voltou ao normal.7 O rei disse ao homem de Deus: "Venha à minha casa e coma algo, e eu o recompensarei".8 Mas o homem de Deus respondeu ao rei: "Mesmo que me desse a metade dos seus bens, eu não iria com você, nem comeria nem beberia nada neste lugar.9 Pois recebi estas ordens pela palavra do Senhor: ‘Não coma pão nem beba água nem volte pelo mesmo caminho por onde veio’ ".10 Por isso, quando ele voltou, não foi pelo caminho pelo qual tinha vindo a Betel.11 Ora, havia um certo profeta, já idoso, morando em Betel. Seus filhos lhe contaram tudo o que o homem de Deus havia feito naquele dia e também o que ele dissera ao rei.12 O pai lhes perguntou: "Por qual caminho ele foi? " E os seus filhos lhe mostraram por onde tinha ido o homem de Deus que viera de Judá.13 Então disse aos filhos: "Selem o jumento para mim". E, depois de selarem o jumento, ele montou14 e cavalgou à procura do homem de Deus, até que o encontrou sentado embaixo da Grande Árvore. E lhe perguntou: "Você é o homem de Deus que veio de Judá? " "Sou", respondeu.15 Então o profeta lhe disse: "Venha à minha casa, comer alguma coisa".16 O homem de Deus disse: "Não posso ir com você, nem posso comer pão ou beber água neste lugar.17 A palavra do Senhor deu-me esta ordem: ‘Não coma pão nem beba água lá, nem volte pelo mesmo caminho por onde você foi’ ".18 O profeta idoso respondeu: "Eu também sou profeta como você. E um anjo me disse por ordem do Senhor: ‘Faça-o voltar com você para a sua casa para que coma pão e beba água’ ". Mas ele estava mentindo.19 E o homem de Deus voltou com ele e foi comer e beber em sua casa.20 Enquanto ainda estavam sentados à mesa, a palavra do Senhor veio ao profeta idoso que o havia feito voltar.21 Ele bradou ao homem de Deus que tinha vindo de Judá: "Assim diz o Senhor: ‘Você desafiou a palavra do Senhor e não obedeceu à ordem que o Senhor, o seu Deus, lhe deu.22 Você voltou e comeu pão e bebeu água no lugar onde ele lhe falou que não comesse nem bebesse. Por isso o seu corpo não será sepultado no túmulo dos seus antepassados’ ".23 Quando o homem de Deus acabou de comer e beber, o outro profeta selou seu jumento para ele.24 No caminho, um leão o atacou e o matou, e o seu corpo ficou estendido no chão, ao lado do leão e do jumento.25 Algumas pessoas que passaram viram o cadáver estendido ali, com o leão ao lado, e foram dar a notícia na cidade onde o profeta idoso vivia.26 Quando o outro profeta soube disso, exclamou: "É o homem de Deus que desafiou a palavra do Senhor! O Senhor o entregou ao leão, que o feriu e o matou, conforme a palavra do Senhor o tinha advertido".27 O profeta disse aos seus filhos: "Selem o jumento para mim", e eles o fizeram.28 Ele foi e encontrou o cadáver caído no caminho, com o jumento e o leão ao seu lado. O leão não tinha comido o corpo nem ferido o jumento.29 O profeta apanhou o corpo do homem de Deus, colocou-o sobre o jumento, e o levou de volta para Betel, a fim de chorar por ele e sepultá-lo.30 Ele o pôs no seu próprio túmulo, e lamentaram por ele, exclamando: "Ah, meu irmão! "31 Depois de sepultá-lo, disse aos seus filhos: "Quando eu morrer, enterrem-me no túmulo onde está sepultado o homem de Deus; ponham os meus ossos ao lado dos ossos dele.32 Pois a mensagem que declarou por ordem do Senhor contra o altar de Betel e contra todos os altares idólatras das cidades de Samaria certamente se cumprirá".33 Mesmo depois disso Jeroboão não mudou o seu mau procedimento, mas continuou a nomear dentre o povo sacerdotes para os altares idólatras. Ele consagrava para esses altares todo aquele que quisesse tornar-se sacerdote.34 Esse foi o pecado da família de Jeroboão, que levou à sua queda e à sua eliminação da face da terra.

1 And, look, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of Yahweh to Beth-el: and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense.2 And he cried against the altar by the word of Yahweh, and said, O altar, altar, thus says Yahweh: Look, a son will be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and on you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places that burn incense on you, and man's bones they will burn on you.3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which Yahweh has spoken: Look, the altar will be rent, and the ashes that are on it will be poured out.4 And it came to pass, when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Beth-el, that Jeroboam put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back again to him.5 The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of Yahweh.6 And the king answered and said to the man of God, Entreat now the favor of Yahweh your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me again. And the man of God entreated Yahweh, and the king's hand was restored to him again, and became as it was before.7 And the king said to the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.8 And the man of God said to the king, If you will give me half your house, I will not go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place;9 for so was it charged me by the word of Yahweh, saying, You will eat no bread, nor drink water, neither return by the way that you came.10 So he went another way, and didn't return by the way that he came to Beth-el.11 Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el; and one of his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Beth-el: the words which he had spoken to the king, they also told them to their father.12 And their father said to them, Which way did he go? Now his sons had seen which way the man of God went, that came from Judah.13 And he said to his sons, Saddle me the donkey. So they saddled him the donkey; and he rode on it.14 And he went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak; and he said to him, Are you the man of God who came from Judah? And he said, I am.15 Then he said to him, Come home with me, and eat bread.16 And he said, I may not return with you, nor go in with you; neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place:17 for it was said to me by the word of Yahweh, You will eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that you came.18 And he said to him, I also am a prophet as you are; and an angel spoke to me by the word of Yahweh, saying, Bring him back with you into your house, that he may eat bread and drink water. [But] he lied to him.19 So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water.20 And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of Yahweh came to the prophet that brought him back;21 and he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, Thus says Yahweh, Since you have been disobedient to the mouth of Yahweh, and haven't kept the commandment which Yahweh your God commanded you,22 but came back, and have eaten bread and drank water in the place of which he said to you, Eat no bread, and drink no water; your body will not come to the tomb of your fathers.23 And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drank, that he saddled for himself the donkey, [to wit], for the prophet whom he had brought back.24 And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his body was cast in the way, and the donkey stood by it; the lion also stood by the body.25 And, look, men passed by, and saw the body cast in the way, and the lion standing by the body; and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.26 And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard of it, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient to the mouth of Yahweh: therefore Yahweh has delivered him to the lion, which has torn him, and slain him, according to the word of Yahweh, which he spoke to him.27 And he spoke to his sons, saying, Saddle the donkey for me. And they saddled it.28 And he went and found his body cast in the way, and the donkey and the lion standing by the body: the lion had not eaten the body, nor torn the donkey.29 And the prophet took up the body of the man of God, and laid it on the donkey, and brought it back; and he came to the city of the old prophet, to mourn, and to bury him.30 And he laid his body in his own grave; and they mourned over him, [saying], Alas, my brother!31 And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the tomb in which the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones.32 For the saying which he cried by the word of Yahweh against the altar in Beth-el, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, will surely come to pass.33 After this thing Jeroboam did not return from his evil way, but made again from among all the people priests of the high places: whoever would, he consecrated him, that there might be priests of the high places.34 And this thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.