Melachim Alef 13

1. And, hinei, by the Devar Hashem there came an Ish HaElohim out of Yehudah unto Beit-El; and Yarov‘am stood by the mizbe’ach to burn ketoret.

2. And he cried against the mizbe’ach by the Devar Hashem, and said, O mizbe’ach, mizbe’ach, thus saith Hashem; Hinei, ben nolad (a son shall be born) unto the Bais Dovid, Yoshiyah shmo; and upon thee shall he offer the kohanim of the [idolatrous] high places that burn ketoret upon thee, and atzmot adam shall be burned upon thee [2Kgs 23:15-16].

3. And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the mofet (sign) that Hashem hath spoken: Hinei, the mizbe’ach shall be split apart, and the deshen (fat ashes) that are upon it shall be poured out.

4. And it came to pass, when HaMelech Yarov`am heard the davar of the Ish HaElohim, which had cried against the mizbe’ach in Beit-El, that he put forth his yad from the mizbe’ach, saying, Lay hold on him. And his yad, which he put forth against him, shriveled up, so that he could not draw it back to him.

5. The mizbe’ach also was split apart, and the deshen poured out from the mizbe’ach, according to the mofet which the Ish HaElohim had given by the Devar Hashem.

6. And HaMelech answered and said unto the Ish HaElohim, Intercede now before the face of Hashem Eloheicha, and daven for me, that my yad may be restored to me. And the Ish HaElohim made intercessory prayer before Hashem, and the yad HaMelech was restored to him, and became as it was before.

7. And HaMelech said unto the Ish HaElohim, Come with me habaytah (home), and have seudah, and I will give thee a mattat (gift).

8. And the Ish HaElohim said unto HaMelech, If thou wilt give me half thine bais, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat lechem nor drink mayim in this makom;

9. For so was it charged me by the Devar Hashem, saying, Eat no lechem, nor drink mayim, nor return again by the same derech that thou camest.

10. So he went another derech, and returned not by the derech that he came to Beit-El.

11. Now there dwelt a navi zaken (old prophet) in Beit-El; and his banim came and told him kol hama’aseh that the Ish HaElohim had done that day in Beit-El: the devarim which he had spoken unto HaMelech, them they told also to their av.

12. And their av said unto them, What derech went he? For his banim had seen on what derech the Ish HaElohim, who came from Yehudah, went.

13. And he said unto his banim, Saddle me the chamor. So they saddled him the chamor; and he rode thereon,

14. And went after the Ish HaElohim, found him sitting under the elah (the oak tree); and he said unto him, Art thou the Ish HaElohim that camest from Yehudah? And he said, I am.

15. Then he said unto him, Come with me home, and eat lechem.

16. And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee; neither will I eat lechem nor drink mayim with thee in this makom;

17. For it was told to me by the Devar Hashem, Thou shalt eat no lechem nor drink mayim there, nor turn again to go by the derech on which thou camest.

18. He said unto him, I am a navi also as thou art; and a malach spoke unto me by the Devar Hashem, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine bais, that he may eat lechem and drink mayim. But he lied unto him.

19. So he went back with him, did eat lechem in his bais and drank mayim.

20. And it came to pass, as they sat at shulchan, that the Devar Hashem came unto the navi that brought him back;

21. And he cried unto the Ish HaElohim that came from Yehudah, saying, Thus saith Hashem, Forasmuch as thou hast defied the mouth of Hashem, and hast not been shomer over the mitzvah which Hashem Eloheicha commanded thee,

22. But camest back, and hast eaten lechem and drunk mayim in the makom, of the which Hashem did say to thee, Eat no lechem, drink no mayim; thy nevelah shall not come unto kever avoteicha.

23. And it came to pass, after he had eaten lechem, and after he had drunk, that he saddled the chamor for him, for the navi whom he had brought back.

24. And when he was gone, an aryeh met him by the derech, and killed him; and his nevelah was cast down in the derech, and the chamor stood beside her [the lion], and the aryeh also stood beside the nevelah.

25. And, hinei, anashim passed by, and saw the nevelah cast down in the derech, and the aryeh standing beside the nevelah; and they came and told it in the Ir where the navi hazaken dwelt.

26. And when the navi that brought him back from the derech heard thereof, he said, It is the Ish HaElohim, who defied the mouth of Hashem; therefore Hashem hath delivered him unto the aryeh, which hath mauled him, and slain him, according to the Devar Hashem, which He spoke unto him.

27. And he spoke to his banim, saying, Saddle me the chamor. And they saddled it.

28. And he went and found his nevelah cast down in the derech, and the chamor and the aryeh standing beside the nevelah; the aryeh had not eaten the nevelah, nor mauled the chamor.

29. The navi took up the nevelah of the Ish HaElohim, laid it upon the chamor, brought it back; and came to the Ir of the navi hazaken to mourn and to bury him.

30. And he laid his nevelah in his own kever; and they mourned over him, saying, Hoy (alas), achi (my brother)!

31. And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his banim, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the kever wherein the Ish HaElohim is buried; lay my atzmot beside his atzmot;

32. For the davar which he cried by the Devar Hashem against the mizbe’ach in Beit-El, and against all the batim of the high places which are in the cities of Shomron, shall surely come to pass.

33. After this thing Yarov‘am returned not from his derech har’ah, but installed again of the lowest of the people as kohanim of the high places; whosoever desired, he filled hands of [i.e., ordained] him, and he became one of the kohanim of the [idolatrous] high places [See Lv 7:37 and 8:25-36].

34. And this thing became chattat (sin) unto the Bais Yarov`am, even to annihilate it, and to destroy it from off the face of ha’adamah.