1 Kings 13

And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.

Suddenly, a man of God from Judah arrived, guided by God's word to Bethel. Meanwhile, Jeroboam was at the altar, preparing to burn incense.

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.

In a passionate outcry, he spoke to the altar, guided by God's word. He declared, "Listen, altar! God has spoken! A boy named Josiah will be born into David's lineage. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the hilltop shrines who burn incense here, and human bones will be burned on you."

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.

On that very day, He showed a sign as proof of God's words. He said, "Look, the altar will be torn apart, and its ashes will scatter."

And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, 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.

When King Jeroboam heard the prophet's outcry against the altar in Bethel, he angrily pointed at him, ordering, "Seize him!" But as he did so, his hand withered, becoming so stiff he couldn't retract it.

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.

The sacred altar was torn apart, its ashes scattered, just as the prophet had foretold in God's message.

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.

The king pleaded with the holy man, "Please, ask your God to heal me, to restore my hand." The holy man prayed sincerely, and miraculously, the king's hand was healed, returning to its former state.

And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.

The king warmly invited the holy man, "Join me at my home, rest and rejuvenate. I promise you a gift in return."

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:

The prophet told the king, "Even if you offer me half of your palace, I won't join you, nor will I eat or drink anything here."

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.

The LORD commanded me with deep urgency, "Do not eat or drink, and do not return the way you came."

So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.

So, he chose a different path, not retracing the way he had come to Bethel.

Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.

In Bethel lived a wise, old prophet. His sons rushed to him, their hearts pounding with excitement, recounting the day's events. They spoke of the man of God's deeds in Bethel, his powerful words to the king, their voices echoing with awe and reverence as they shared the tale with their father.

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.

Their father asked them, "Which direction did he go?" His sons had observed the path taken by the holy man from Judah.

And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon,

He gently instructed his sons, "Prepare the donkey for me." They did as asked, setting up the donkey for him to ride. With a sense of purpose, he climbed onto the donkey's back.

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.

The man pursued the holy man, discovering him in peaceful solitude beneath an oak tree. He asked, "Are you the divine messenger from Judah?" The holy man simply replied, "Yes, I am."

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

With a warm smile, he invited him, "Come, join me at my home and share a meal."

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:

He spoke, "I can't come back with you, nor can I enter with you. I won't share a meal or even a sip of water with you here."

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.

The Lord spoke to me, commanding, "Do not eat or drink there, and do not return the way you came."

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.

He told him, "I'm a prophet just like you. An angel delivered a message from God, asking me to bring you back to my home for food and water." But he was deceiving him.

So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.

He returned with him, sharing a meal and a drink in his home, feeling a sense of comfort and camaraderie.

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:

As they gathered around the table, a divine message from the Lord suddenly filled the heart of the prophet who had led them there.

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,

He cried out to the man of God from Judah, "The LORD declares, 'You've disobeyed His words and ignored the command He gave you.'"

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.

You returned and ate and drank where God told you not to. Now, you won't be laid to rest with your ancestors.

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.

After he had finished his meal and quenched his thirst, he prepared the donkey for the prophet he had returned, with a sense of duty and respect.

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.

After he left, he encountered a lion on his path which killed him. His lifeless body lay on the road, with his donkey and the lion standing guard over it.

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.

People walked by and saw a lifeless body on the road, with a lion standing guard. They rushed to the city to share this chilling sight with the wise old prophet.

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.

When the prophet who had guided him heard the news, he said, "It's the man of God who didn't obey God's command. So God has handed him over to the lion, which mauled and killed him, just as He had warned."

And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled him.

With a commanding tone, he instructed his sons, "Prepare the donkey for me." Without hesitation, they did as told.

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.

He discovered his lifeless body discarded on the path, with the donkey and lion standing guard. Surprisingly, the lion hadn't feasted on the body or harmed the donkey.

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.

The prophet, with a heavy heart, lifted the lifeless body of the man of God onto the donkey. He returned, sorrow etching his face, carrying the body back to the city. The old prophet arrived, grief-stricken, ready to mourn and lay his fellow man to rest.

And he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!

The old prophet laid the body in his own tomb, and they grieved deeply for him, crying out, "Oh, my brother!"

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:

After he had laid him to rest, he turned to his sons with a heavy heart and said, "When I pass away, bury me in the same tomb where the holy man rests; let my bones lie next to his."

For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.

The prophecy he passionately declared, inspired by God, against the altar in Bethel and all the sacred houses in Samaria's cities, will undoubtedly become reality.

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.

Despite everything, Jeroboam persisted in his wicked ways. He went on appointing the most unworthy as priests of the hilltop shrines; anyone who desired the position was ordained and became one of those priests, part of the corrupt clergy.

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.

This act brought great sin upon Jeroboam's household, leading to its complete destruction and removal from the earth.