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Fire from Heaven Destroys the King’s Henchmen

So the king sent out 50 men, along with their leader.[a] The leader[b] approached Elijah, who was sitting at the top of a hill. He ordered Elijah,[c] “Hey, man of God! The king orders you to come down!”

10 Elijah responded to the leader who was in charge of the 50 soldiers, “So I’m a man of God, am I? If so, may fire[d] fall from heaven and devour you and your 50 soldiers…”[e] Just then, fire fell from heaven and devoured that leader and his 50 soldiers.[f]

11 Later the king tried again—he sent another company of 50 soldiers, along with their leader, who ordered Elijah, “Hey, man of God! This is what the king orders: ‘Come down!’”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 1:9 Lit. a captain of fifty; and so through v. 14; modern equivalent to a Second Lieutenant commanding a platoon of four twelve-member squads
  2. 2 Kings 1:9 Lit. He
  3. 2 Kings 1:9 Lit. him
  4. 2 Kings 1:10 MT word fire sounds like MT word man
  5. 2 Kings 1:10 The Heb. lacks soldiers
  6. 2 Kings 1:10 The Heb. lacks soldiers