¶ The captaynes ouer fiftye with theyr sould yours are burnte with fyre from heuen, by the prayer of Elia. Ahazia is reproued of Elia, and dyeth. and Ieho∣ram his brother succedeth hym.
CAPI. Primo.
[unspec A] ANd Moab ❀ dyd wycked¦ly agaynst Israel after the death of Ahab. And Ahazia fell thorow a lattesse wyndowe of his vpper chambre that he had in Samaria: and whyle he was in his syckenesse, he sent messengers, and sayd vnto them: go and enquyre of Beel∣zebub the God of Ekrom, whyther I shal re∣couer of this my disease. But the angell of the Lorde spake to Elia the Thesbite: Aryse, & go vp agaynst the messengers of the kyng of Samaria and say vnto them. Is there not a God in Israel, that ye go to aske counsayle at Beelzabub the God of Ekrom? Wherfore thus sayth the Lorde: thou shalte not come downe from the bed on whiche thou art gone vp, but shalte dye the death, & Elia departed.
And when the messengers turned backe agayne vnto hym, he sayde vnto them: why [unspec B] are ye nowe come agayne? They answered hym: there came a man vp agaynst vs, & sayd vnto vs? Go & turne agayne vnto the kynge that sent you, and say vnto hym. Thus sayth the Lorde. Is there not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to enquyre of Beelzebub the god of Ekrom? Therfore thou shalte not come downe from the bed on whiche thou art gone vp, but shalt dye the death. And he sayd vnto them. What manera man was that, which came vp in your waye, & tolde you these wor∣des? And they answered hym: it was an hee∣rye man * 1.1 and gyrde with a gyrdle of lether aboute his loynes. And he sayd: it is Elia the Thesbite. Then the kynge sent vnto hym a captayne ouer fyftie (wt his fyftie men) which came to hym: and beholde, he sat on the top of an hyll. And he spake vnto hym. Thou man of god, the kyng hath sayd: come downe.
Elia answered & sayd to the captayne ouer [unspec C] the fyftie: Yf I be a man of God, fyre come downe from heuen, and consume the and thy fyftye. * 1.2 And there came fyre of god, and con¦sumed hym and his fyftye. And the kynge went agayne, & sent to hym an other captayn ouer fyftye with his fyftie. And he answered and sayd vnto hym: O mā of God, thus hath the kyng sayd: make hast, and come downe. Elia answered & sayde vnto them: Yf I be a man of God, fyre come downe from heuen, & consume the & thy fyftie. And there came fyre of God downe from heuen, & consumed hym & his fyftie. And the kynge went agayne and sent the thyrde captayne ouer fyftie with his fiftie men. And the thyrde captayne ouer fyf∣tie went vp, and came & fell on his knees be∣fore Elia, and besought hym, and sayde vnto hym: O man of god, let my lyfe, and the lyfe of these fyfiye thy seruauntes be precyous in thy syght. Beholde, there came fyre downe [unspec D] from heuen, & burnt vp the two fore captay∣nes ouer fyftie with theyr fyfties: therfore let my lyfe nowe be precyous in thy syght. And the angell of the Lorde sayde vnto Elia: Go downe wt hym, & be not afrayde of hym. And he arose and went downe with hym vnto the kyng. And he sayd vnto hym, thus sayth the lorde: for as moche as thou hast sent messen∣gers to aske counsayle at Beelzebub the god of Ekrom, as though there had bene no god in Israell / whose worde thou myghtest like after: Therfore thou shalte not come downe of the bed, on whiche thou arte gone vp, but shalt dye the death. And so he dyed accordyng to the worde of the lorde which Elia had spo∣ken. And Iehoram ❀ (his brother) began to reygne in his steade, in the seconde yeare of Iehoram the son of Iehosaphat kyng of Iu∣da, bycause he had no sonne. The rest of the wordes that concerne Ahazia, what thynges he dyd, are they not wrytten in the boke of the cronicles of the kynges of Israel.