1 فجاءَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ يَهوذا بِأمرِ الرّبِّ إلى بَيتَ إيلَ، ويَرُبعامُ واقفٌ على المذبَحِ يَحرُقُ البَخورَ. 2 فتَوَجَّهَ إلى المذبَحِ وقالَ: «يا مذبَحُ، يا مذبَحُ، هذا ما قالَ الرّبُّ: سَيُولَدُ لِبَيتِ داوُدَ ابنٌ يُسمَّى يُوشيَّا، وهوَ سيذبَحُ علَيكَ كهَنةَ الأصنامِ الّذينَ يَحرقونَ علَيكَ البَخورَ، وسَيُحرِقُ علَيكَ عِظامَ بشَرٍ». 3 وأعطى رَجُلُ اللهِ عَنْ ذلِكَ اليومِ علامةً، قالَ: «هذِهِ العلامةُ الّتي تكَلَّمَ عَنها الرّبُّ: «سيَنشَقُّ هذا المذبَحُ ويتَبَدَّدُ الرَّمادُ الّذي علَيهِ، علامةً على ما كلَّمَني بهِ الرّبُّ». 4 فلمَّا سَمِعَ المَلِكُ كلامَ رَجُلِ اللهِ مَدَّ يدَهُ مِنْ على المذبَحِ وقالَ: «أمسِكوهُ». فيَبِسَت يدُهُ الّتي مَدَّها ولم يَقدِرْ أنْ يَرُدَّها إليهِ. 5 وانْشَقَّ المذبَحُ وتبَدَّدَ الرَّمادُ عَنِ المذبَحِ بِـحسَبِ العلامةِ الّتي أعطاها رَجُلُ اللهِ بِأمرِ الرّبِّ. 6 فقالَ المَلِكُ لِرَجُلِ اللهِ: «تضَّرَعْ إلى الرّبِّ إلهِكَ وصَلِّ لأجلي حتّى ترتَدَّ يَدي إليَّ». فتَضَرَّعَ رَجُلُ اللهِ إلى الرّبِّ فارتَدَّت يَدُ المَلِكِ إليهِ وعادَت كما كانَت مِنْ قَبلُ. 7 ثُمَّ قالَ المَلِكُ لِرَجُلِ اللهِ: «تعالَ معي إلى البَيتِ وتناوَلْ طَعاما، وأنا أمنَحُكَ عَطيَّةً». 8 فقالَ لَه رَجُلُ اللهِ: «لو أعطَيتَني نِصفَ بَيتِكَ لما دخَلْتُ معَكَ ولا أكلْتُ خُبزا ولا شَرِبْتُ ماءً في هذا المَوضعِ، 9 لأنَّ الرّبَّ أوصاني: لا تأكُلْ خُبزا ولا تَشرَبْ ماءً ولا تَرجِـعْ في الطَّريقِ الّتي جِئْتَ مِنها». 10 ثُمَّ مضَى ولم يَرجِـعْ في الطَّريقِ الّتي جاءَ مِنها إلى بَيتَ إيلَ.
نبـي بـيت إيل
11 وكانَ في بَيتَ إيلَ شَيخٌ نَبـيٌّ، فجاءَ إليهِ بَنوهُ وأخبَروهُ بِكُلِّ ما عَمِلَهُ رَجُلُ اللهِ ذلِكَ اليومَ في بَيتَ إيلَ، وقَصُّوا على أبـيهِم ما تكَلَّمَ بهِ إلى المَلِكِ. 12 فقالَ لهُم أبوهُم: «مِنْ أيِّ طريقٍ ذهَبَ؟» فأرَوهُ الطَّريقَ. 13 فقالَ لهُم: «جَهِّزوا الحمارَ». فجَهَّزوهُ لَه فركِبَ علَيهِ 14 وتَبِـعَ رَجُلَ اللهِ فوَجَدَهُ جالسا تَحتَ البُطْمَةِ. فسألَه: «أأنتَ رَجُلُ اللهِ الّذي جاءَ مِنْ يَهوذا؟» فأجابَهُ: «أنا هوَ». 15 فقالَ لَه: «تَعال معي إلى البَيتِ وكُلْ خُبزا». 16 فأجابَهُ: «لا أقدِرُ أنْ أرجِـعَ معَكَ وفي هذا المكانِ لا آكُلُ خُبزا ولا أشرَبُ ماءً، 17 لأنَّ الرّبَّ أمرَني: لا تأكُلْ هُناكَ خُبزا ولا تشرَبْ ماءً ولا ترجِـعْ في الطَّريقِ الّتي ذهَبْتَ مِنها». 18 فقالَ لَه: «أنا أيضا نَبـيٌّ مِثْلُكَ، وبِأمرِ الرّبِّ قالَ لي ملاكٌ: رُدَّهُ معَكَ إلى بَيتِكَ فيأكُلَ خُبزا ويشربَ ماءً». وكانَ ذلِكَ كَذِبا. 19 فرَجَعَ رَجُلُ اللهِ معَهُ وأكلَ خُبزا في بَيتِهِ وشرِبَ ماءً.
20 وبَينَما هُما جالِسانِ إلى المائِدةِ جاءَت كلِمَةُ اللهِ إلى النَّبـيِ الّذي رَدَّ رَجُلَ اللهِ 21 فصاحَ بِرَجُلِ اللهِ: «هذا ما يقولُ الرّبُّ: لأنَّكَ خالَفتَ أمرَ الرّبِّ إلهِكَ ولم تعمَلْ بِالوصيَّةِ الّتي أوصاكَ بِها، 22 ورَجَعْتَ وأكلْتَ خُبزا وشرِبْتَ ماءً في هذا الموضِعِ الّذي قالَ لكَ: لا تَأكُلْ فيهِ خُبزا ولا تشرَبْ ماءً، فسَتَموتُ وفي قُبورِ آبائِكَ لا تُدفَنُ جُثَّتُكَ». 23 فلمَّا فَرغَ مِنْ أكلِهِ وشُربِهِ جَهَّزَ النَّبـيُّ لَه الحمارَ 24 ومَضى. فلَقيَهُ أسدٌ في طريقِهِ فقَتَلَهُ، وبَقيَت جُثَّتُهُ مُلقاةً في الطَّريقِ، والحمارُ والأسدُ إلى جانِبِها. 25 فمَرَّ قومٌ فرَأَوا الجُثَّةَ مَطروحَةً في الطَّريقِ، والأسدُ بِـجانِبِها فجاؤوا وأخبَروا أهلَ المدينةِ الّتي يُقيمُ بها النَّبـيُّ الشَّيخُ.
26 فلمَّا سَمِعَ النَّبـيُّ الشَّيخُ قالَ: «هوَ رَجُلُ اللهِ الّذي خالفَ أمرَ الربِّ فأسلَمَهُ إلى الأسَدِ، فهاجَمَهُ وقَتَلَهُ كما أنذَرَهُ الرّبُّ». 27 ثُمَّ قالَ لِبَنيهِ: «جَهِّزوا ليَ الحمارَ». فجَهَّزوهُ 28 فمَضى فوَجَدَ جُثَّةَ رَجُلِ اللهِ مُلقاةً على الطَّريقِ، والحِمارُ والأسدُ بِـجانِبِها. وما افتَرَسَ الأسدُ الجُثَّةَ ولا الحمارَ. 29 فأخَذَ النَّبـيُّ الجُثَّةَ ووضَعَها على الحمارِ، ورجَعَ بِها إلى المدينةِ لِـيَندُبَ رَجُلَ اللهِ ويَدفِنَهُ. 30 ودفَنَ الجُثَّةَ في قبرِهِ الخاصِّ وندَبَهُ هوَ وبَنوهُ قائِلينَ: «آهِ يا أخي». 31 وبَعدَ أنْ دفَنَهُ قالَ لِبَنيهِ: «إذا مُتُّ فادْفِنوني في القبرِ ذاتِهِ وبِـجانِبِ عِظامِهِ ضَعوا عِظامي. 32 فكلامُهُ سيَتِمُّ، هذا الكلامُ الّذي هاجَمَ بهِ بِأمرِ الرّبِّ المذبَحَ الّذي في بَيتَ إيلَ، وجميعَ بُيوتِ العِبادةِ الّتي على رُؤُوسِ التِّلالِ في مُدُنِ السَّامرةِ».
خطيئة يربعام
33 ولم يَرتَدَّ يَرُبعامُ عَنْ طريقِهِ الفاسِدِ، فعادَ وأقامَ كهَنَةً مِنْ عامَّةِ الشَّعبِ لِبُيوتِ العِبادةِ. فمَنْ شاءَ كانَ يُكَرَّسُ ويَصيرُ كاهنا 34 وكانَ ذلِكَ خطيئةً أدَّتْ إلى خرابِ بَيتِ يَرُبعامَ وإبادَتِهِ عَنْ وجهِ الأرضِ.
1 And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Beth-el: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. 2 And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee. 3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out. 4 And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Beth-el, that he 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 pull it in 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 the LORD. 6 And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before. 7 And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward. 8 And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: 9 For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest. 10 So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Beth-el.
11 ¶ Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el; and 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 unto the king, them they told also to their father. 12 And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah. 13 And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon, 14 And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am . 15 Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread. 16 And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place: 17 For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest. 18 He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him. 19 So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.
20 ¶ And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back: 21 And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee, 22 But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the Lord did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase 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 by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase. 25 And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: 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 thereof , he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD: therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake unto him. 27 And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled him . 28 And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion had not eaten the carcase, nor torn the ass. 29 And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him. 30 And he laid his carcase 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 spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones: 32 For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Beth-el, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.
33 ¶ After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. 34 And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.