1 Kings — Chapter 13

📖 1 Kings — Chapter 13 (KJV)

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Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.

1 Kings 13:1 And, behold, ^Rthere came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to ^Tburn incense.

1 Kings 13:2 And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, ^RO 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.

1 Kings 13:3 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.

1 Kings 13:4 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, ^RLay 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.

1 Kings 13:5 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.

1 Kings 13:6 And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat ^Rnow 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 ^Tthe LORD, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.

1 Kings 13:7 And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and ^Rrefresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.

1 Kings 13:8 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:

1 Kings 13:9 ^RFor 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.

1 Kings 13:10 So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.

1 Kings 13:11 Now there dwelt ^Ran 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.

1 Kings 13:12 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.

1 Kings 13:13 And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon,

1 Kings 13:14 And went after the man of God, and found him ^Rsitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am.

1 Kings 13:15 Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.

1 Kings 13:16 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:

1 Kings 13:17 For ^Tit was said to me ^Rby 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.

1 Kings 13:18 He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and ^Ran 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.

1 Kings 13:19 So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.

1 Kings 13:20 And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that ^Rthe word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back:

1 Kings 13:21 And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, ^RThus 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,

1 Kings 13:22 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 ^Rcarcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.

1 Kings 13:23 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.

1 Kings 13:24 And when he was gone, ^Ra 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.

1 Kings 13:25 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.

1 Kings 13:26 And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is ^Rthe man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD: therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath ^Ttorn him, and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake unto him.

1 Kings 13:27 And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled him.

1 Kings 13:28 And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: ^Rthe lion had not eaten the carcase, nor ^Ttorn the ass.

1 Kings 13:29 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.

1 Kings 13:30 And he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they ^Rmourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!

1 Kings 13:31 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; ^Rlay my bones beside his bones:

1 Kings 13:32 For ^Rthe 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.

1 Kings 13:33 After this thing ^RJeroboam returned not from his evil way, but ^Tmade again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he ^Tconsecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places.

1 Kings 13:34 And this thing ^Rbecame sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.

📚 Study This Chapter

📖 What We’re Reading

1 Kings 13:1–10 — A word against Bethel’s altar

🌱 What These Verses Teach Us

A man of God announces judgment and names Josiah as a future agent of it. Jeroboam’s hand becomes powerless, and the altar breaks as the sign foretold. The man prays for the king’s restoration but refuses hospitality because of God’s specific command. A display of power does not erase the requirement to obey.

Key Truth: Mercy and steadfast obedience can stand together.

Check What You Remember

📖 What We’re Reading

1 Kings 13:11–22 — A false claim contradicts a clear command

🌱 What These Verses Teach Us

An older prophet invites the man of God home and claims an angel authorized an exception. The narrator explicitly says he lied. The man accepts the invitation and disobeys his earlier instruction, then hears judgment. A claim of spiritual authority must not simply override a word already known to be from God.

Key Truth: Test religious claims instead of accepting status as proof.

Check What You Remember

📖 What We’re Reading

1 Kings 13:23–34 — A death and a warning left unheeded

🌱 What These Verses Teach Us

A lion kills the man of God but does not eat the body or attack the donkey. The older prophet mourns and buries him, affirming that the word against the altar will come to pass. Jeroboam nevertheless continues appointing high-place priests. Repeated warning does not produce repentance.

Key Truth: Hearing a warning is different from turning from wrongdoing.

Check What You Remember

Related Scripture (KJV)

Deuteronomy 13:3 — This command warns against following a voice that leads away from the LORD.

Deuteronomy 13:3 (KJV) Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.

Reflect and Apply

How do you evaluate a claim that sounds spiritual but contradicts God’s word? Consider the need for careful reading and obedience rather than fascination with a speaker.

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