Monday, June 05, 2006

It's What God Says

7 Then the king said to the man of God, "Come home with me and refresh yourself, and (A) I will give you a reward."

8 But the man of God said to the king, "(B) If you were to give me half your house I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place.

9 "For so it was commanded me by the word of the LORD, saying, 'You shall eat no bread, nor drink water, nor return by the way which you came.'"

10 So he went another way and did not return by the way which he came to Bethel.

11 Now (C) an old prophet was living in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the deeds which the man of God had done that day in Bethel; the words which he had spoken to the king, these also they related to their father.

12 Their father said to them, "Which way did he go?" Now his sons had seen the way which the man of God who came from Judah had gone.

13 Then he said to his sons, "Saddle the donkey for me." So they saddled the donkey for him and he rode away on it.

14 So he went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak; and he said to him, "Are you the man of God who came from Judah?" And he said, "I am."

15 Then he said to him, "Come home with me and eat bread."

16 He said, "(D) I cannot return with you, nor go with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place.

17 "For a command came to me (E) by the word of the LORD, 'You shall eat no bread, nor drink water there; do not return by going the way which you came.'"

18 He said to him, "(F) I also am a prophet like you, and (G) an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, 'Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water '" But (H) he lied to him.

19 So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house and drank water.

20 Now it came about, as they were sitting down at the table, that the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back; 21 and he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, "Thus says the LORD, 'Because you have disobeyed the command of the LORD, and have not observed the commandment which the LORD your God commanded you, 22 but have returned and eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which He said to you, "Eat no bread and drink no water"; your body shall not come to the grave of your fathers.'"

-I Kings 13:7-22