1 Ora, estando ele de pé diante do altar para queimar o incenso, eis que sobreveio um homem de Deus, vindo de Judá por ordem do Senhor;2 este se pôs a clamar contra o altar da parte do Senhor, nestes termos: Altar! Altar! Eis o que diz o Senhor: Na casa de Davi nascerá um filho que se chamará Josias; ele imolará sobre ti os sacerdotes dos lugares altos, que agora queimam ofertas sobre ti, e queimar-se-ão sobre ti ossos humanos.3 Ao mesmo tempo anunciou o homem de Deus um prodígio, dizendo: Eis a prova de que é o Senhor quem fala: o altar vai-se fender e a cinza que está por cima se derramará por terra.4 Ao ouvir a ameaça que o homem de Deus proferia contra o altar de Betel, o rei Jeroboão levantou a mão do altar, e disse: Prendei-o. Secou-se-lhe, porém, a mão que estendera contra o homem, de modo que não a pôde trazer a si.5 O altar fendeu-se e espalhou-se a cinza que estava sobre ele, assim como o dissera o homem de Deus da parte do Senhor.6 Então disse o rei ao homem de Deus: Aplaca o Senhor, teu Deus, e roga por mim para que me seja restituída a mão. O homem de Deus aplacou o Senhor, e o rei pôde trazer de novo a si a mão, que se tornou tal como era antes.7 O rei disse ao homem de Deus: Vem comigo a minha casa para restaurar as tuas forças, e dar-te-ei um presente.8 Mas o homem de Deus respondeu ao rei: Ainda que me desses a metade de tua casa, eu não iria contigo. Não comerei pão, nem beberei água nesse lugar,9 porque o Senhor me ordenou que não comesse pão, nem bebesse água, e tampouco voltasse pelo mesmo caminho por onde vim.10 Partiu, pois, de Betel por outro caminho e não tomou aquele por onde viera.11 Ora, habitava em Betel um profeta já idoso, a quem seus filhos contaram tudo o que o homem de Deus fizera naquele dia em Betel, e o que ele dissera ao rei. O pai disse-lhes: Por onde se foi ele?12 Seus filhos mostraram-lhe o caminho que tomara o homem de Deus vindo de Judá, ao partir.13 Ele disse aos seus filhos: Selai o meu jumento. Tendo-o eles selado, montou nele o profeta,14 e partiu em busca do homem de Deus. Encontrou-o sentado ao pé de um terebinto, e disse-lhe: És tu o homem de Deus que veio de Judá?15 Sim, respondeu ele. O velho profeta continuou: Vem comigo para comeres em minha casa.16 Não posso voltar, respondeu ele, nem ir contigo à tua casa. Não comerei pão, nem beberei água contigo nesse lugar,17 porque recebi do Senhor a ordem de não comer pão, nem beber água, nem tampouco voltar pelo mesmo caminho por onde vim.18 Mas eu sou também profeta como tu, insistiu o outro. Ora, um anjo me falou da parte do Senhor: Leva-o contigo à tua casa e dá-lhe de comer. Era mentira.19 O homem de Deus voltou com ele e comeu em sua casa.20 Enquanto estavam à mesa, o Senhor falou ao profeta que o tinha feito voltar,21 e este interpelou o homem de Deus, vindo de Judá, nestes termos: Eis o que diz o Senhor: Desobedeceste à palavra do Senhor e não cumpriste a ordem que o Senhor, teu Deus, te havia dado:22 voltaste e comeste num lugar do qual Deus te dissera: Não comerás pão ali, nem beberás água. Por isso teu cadáver não será levado ao sepulcro de teus pais.23 Depois de ter comido, o velho profeta mandou selar um jumento para o seu hóspede, e este partiu.24 Enquanto caminhava, o homem de Deus encontrou no caminho um leão, que o matou. Seu cadáver ficou estendido no caminho, tendo ao seu lado o jumento e o leão.25 Alguns que passavam por ali, vendo o cadáver estendido por terra e junto dele o leão, foram e divulgaram a notícia na cidade onde morava aquele velho profeta.26 Ouvindo isto, o velho profeta, que tinha levado à sua casa o homem de Deus, exclamou: É o homem de Deus que foi desobediente à ordem do Senhor; e o Senhor o entregou a um leão que o despedaçou e matou, como o Senhor lho predissera.27 E disse em seguida aos seus filhos: Selai o meu jumento. Eles selaram-no,28 o profeta partiu, e encontrou o cadáver estendido no caminho, tendo ao seu lado o jumento e o leão. O leão não tinha devorado o cadáver, nem dilacerado o jumento.29 Tomou então o profeta o cadáver do homem de Deus, pô-lo em cima do seu jumento, e levou-o para a cidade a fim de pranteá-lo e dar-lhe sepultura.30 Depositou-o em seu próprio túmulo, e pranteou-o, dizendo: Ai, meu irmão!31 Depois do enterro disse o ancião aos seus filhos: Quando eu morrer, sepultar-me-eis no túmulo onde repousa o homem de Deus; depositareis os meus ossos junto do seus.32 Porque se cumprirá a ameaça que ele fez da parte do Senhor contra o altar de Betel e contra todos os templos dos lugares altos das cidades da Samaria.33 Depois dessas coisas, Jeroboão não se converteu de sua péssima vida, mas continuou a tomar homens do meio do povo e constituí-los sacerdotes dos lugares altos: a todo o que desejasse, investia no cargo sacerdotal e o estabelecia nos lugares altos.34 Isto tornou-se para a casa de Jeroboão um ocasião de pecado, que causou a sua perda e o seu extermínio da face da terra.

1 And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Beth–el: while Jerobo’am was standing upon the altar to burn incense.2 And he called out against the altar by the word of the Lord, and he said, O altar, altar, thus hath said the Lord, Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name, and he shall sacrifice upon thee the priests of the high–places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee.3 And he gave on the same day a token, saying, This is the token that the Lord hath spoken, Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes which are upon it shall be spilled about.4 And it came to pass, when the king heard the word of the man of God, which he had called out against the altar in Beth–el, that Jerobo’am stretched forth his hand from off the altar, saying, Seize him. And his hand, which he had put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back to himself.5 The altar also was rent, and the ashes were spilled about from the altar, according to the token which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.6 And the king commenced and said unto the man of God, Offer but entreaty before the Lord thy God, and pray in behalf of me, that my hand may return to me again. And the man of God offered his entreaty before the Lord, and the king’s hand returned to him again, and became as it was before.7 And the king spoke unto the man of God, Come home with me, and take some refreshment, and I will give thee a present.8 But the man of God said unto the king, If thou wert to give me the half of thy house, I would not go in with thee, neither would I eat bread nor drink water in this place;9 For so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Thou shalt not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the way that thou camest.10 So he went by another way, and returned not by the way on which he was come to Beth–el.11 Now there dwelt a certain old prophet in Beth–el; and his son came and told him all the deed that the man of God had done that day in Beth–el: the words also which he had spoken unto the king, these too they told to their father.12 And their father spoke unto them, What way did he go? His sons however had seen what way had gone the man of God, who had come from Judah.13 And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass, and he rode away thereon,14 And he went after the man of God, and found him sitting under the oak; and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am.15 Then said he unto him, Come with me home, and eat bread.16 And he said, I cannot return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place;17 For a command came to me by the word of the Lord, Thou shalt not eat bread nor drink water there; thou shalt not return to go by the way also by which thou camest.18 And he said unto him, I also am a prophet like thee; and an angel spoke unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee unto thy house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.19 So he returned with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water.20 And it came to pass, as they were sitting at the table, That the word of the Lord came unto the prophet who had brought him back;21 And he called unto the man of God that was come from Judah, saying, Thus hath said the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the order of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God had commanded thee;22 But didst return, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of which he had spoken to thee, Thou shalt not eat bread, nor drink water: thy dead body shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.23 And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back.24 And when he was gone, a lion met him on the way, and slew him; and his corpse remained cast down on the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the corpse.25 And, behold, men passed by, and saw the corpse cast down on the way, and the lion standing by the corpse; and they came and spoke of it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.26 And when the prophet that had brought him back from the way heard it, he said, It is the man of God who was disobedient unto the order of the Lord; wherefore the Lord hath given him up unto the lion, who hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the Lord, which he had spoken unto him.27 And he spoke to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled him.28 And he went and found his corpse cast down on the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the corpse: the lion had not eaten the corpse, nor torn the ass.29 And the prophet took up the corpse of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back; and he came to the city of the old prophet, to lament for, and to bury him.30 And he laid his corpse in his own sepulchre; and they lamented over him, "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 sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; beside his bones lay ye my bones;32 For the thing which he called out by the word of the Lord against the altar which is 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 event Jerobo’am returned not from his evil way; but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high–places: whosoever desired it, he consecrated, that he might become one of the priests of the high–places.34 And he became through this thing the cause of sin unto the house of Jerobo’am, and to cause that it was blotted out, and destroyed from off the face of the earth.