וְהִנֵּה אִישׁ אֱלֹהִים בָּא מִיהוּדָה בִּדְבַר ה' אֶל־בֵּית־אֵל וְיָרָבְעָם עֹמֵד עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ לְהַקְטִיר

Behold, a man of God, a prophet, the prophet Ido according to one opinion, came from Judah to Beit El by the word of the Lord, and Yorovam was standing on the altar to burn offerings, as he had declared that anyone could serve as priest on his altar (12:31).

וַיִּקְרָא עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ בִּדְבַר ה' וַיֹּאמֶר מִזְבֵּחַ מִזְבֵּחַ כֹּה אָמַר ה' הִנֵּה־בֵן נוֹלָד לְבֵית־דָּוִד יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ שְׁמוֹ וְזָבַח עָלֶיךָ אֶת־כֹּהֲנֵי הַבָּמוֹת הַמַּקְטִרִים עָלֶיךָ וְעַצְמוֹת אָדָם יִשְׂרְפוּ עָלֶיךָ

He, the prophet, called against the altar by the word of the Lord, and said: Altar, altar, so said the Lord: Behold, a son will be born, in the distant future, to the house of David, Yoshiyahu his name; he will slaughter upon you, altar, the priests of the shrines who burn offerings upon you, and they will burn upon you human bones. Thus you, the altar, will be utterly defiled.

וְנָתַן בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא מוֹפֵת לֵאמֹר זֶה הַמּוֹפֵת אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה'הִנֵּה הַמִּזְבֵּחַ נִקְרָע וְנִשְׁפַּךְ הַדֶּשֶׁן אֲשֶׁר־עָלָיו

He, the prophet, provided a portent, a sign that his prophecy would be fulfilled, on that day, saying: This is the portent that the Lord has spoken: Behold, the altar will split, and the ashes that are upon it will be spilled.

וַיְהִי כִשְׁמֹעַ הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־דְּבַר אִישׁ־הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר קָרָא עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ בְּבֵית־אֵל וַיִּשְׁלַח יָרָבְעָם אֶת־יָדוֹ מֵעַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ לֵאמֹר תִּפְשֻׂהוּ וַתִּיבַשׁ יָדוֹ אֲשֶׁר שָׁלַח עָלָיו וְלֹא יָכֹל לַהֲשִׁיבָהּ אֵלָיו

It was when the king heard the word of the man of God that he had called against the altar in Beit El that Yorovam extended his hand from upon the altar, saying, commanding his men: Seize him. His hand that he had extended toward him shriveled and was paralyzed, and he could not bring it back to himself. God took from him the ability to do anything to the prophet.

וְהַמִּזְבֵּחַ נִקְרָע וַיִּשָּׁפֵךְ הַדֶּשֶׁן מִן־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ כַּמּוֹפֵת אֲשֶׁר נָתַן אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים בִּדְבַר ה'

The altar indeed split and the ashes were spilled from the altar, in accordance with the portent that the man of God had provided at the word of the Lord.

וַיַּעַן הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים חַל נָא אֶת־פְּנֵי ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ וְהִתְפַּלֵּל בַּעֲדִי וְתָשֹׁב יָדִי אֵלָי וַיְחַל אִישׁ־הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת־פְּנֵי ה' וַתָּשָׁב יַד־הַמֶּלֶךְ אֵלָיו וַתְּהִי כְּבָרִאשֹׁנָה

The king spoke out and he said to the man of God: Implore the Lord your God, and pray for me that my paralyzed hand be restored to me, so that I will be able to move it once again. The man of God implored the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored, and it was as before. Yorovam regained the use of his hand.

וַיְדַבֵּר הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶל־אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים בֹּאָה־אִתִּי הַבַּיְתָה וּסֳעָדָה וְאֶתְּנָה לְךָ מַתָּת

The king said to the man of God: Come home with me, and dine; I will honor you with a meal, and I will also give you a gift. Notwithstanding the harsh content of the prophecy, and although the prophet had informed him that his actions were repulsive, and that they would eventually lead to destruction and disgrace, Yorovam treated the man of God with respect.

וַיֹּאמֶר אִישׁ־הָאֱלֹהִים אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ אִם־תִּתֶּן־לִי אֶת־חֲצִי בֵיתֶךָ לֹא אָבֹא עִמָּךְ וְלֹא־אֹכַל לֶחֶם וְלֹא אֶשְׁתֶּה־מַּיִם בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה

The man of God said to the king: Even if you give me half your house, I will not come with you; I will not eat bread and I will not drink water in this place.

כִּי־כֵן צִוָּה אֹתִי בִּדְבַר ה' לֵאמֹר לֹא־תֹאכַל לֶחֶם וְלֹא תִשְׁתֶּה־מָּיִם וְלֹא תָשׁוּב בַּדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר הָלָכְתָּ

For so was commanded to me by the word of the Lord in a prophecy, saying: You shall not eat bread, and not drink water, and not return by the way that you went.

וַיֵּלֶךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ אַחֵר וְלֹא־שָׁב בַּדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר בָּא בָהּ אֶל־בֵּית־אֵל

He, the man of God, indeed went on a different way, and he did not return by the way that he came to Beit El.

וְנָבִיא אֶחָד זָקֵן יֹשֵׁב בְּבֵית־אֵל וַיָּבוֹא בְנוֹ וַיְסַפֶּר־לוֹ אֶת־כָּל־הַמַּעֲשֶׂה אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה אִישׁ־הָאֱלֹהִים הַיּוֹם בְּבֵית־אֵל אֶת־הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיְסַפְּרוּם לַאֲבִיהֶם

There was a certain elderly prophet residing in Beit El, who was probably not one of the false prophets who were complete frauds but an individual blessed with divine inspiration, albeit not an actual prophet, and his son came and related to him the entire deed that the man of God had performed that day in Beit El, the words that he had spoken to the king; and when his other sons arrived they too told them to their father.

וַיְדַבֵּר אֲלֵהֶם אֲבִיהֶם אֵי־זֶה הַדֶּרֶךְ הָלָךְ וַיִּרְאוּ בָנָיו אֶת־הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר הָלַךְ אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר־בָּא מִיהוּדָה

Their father said to them: Since the man of God said that he must return by another path, which way did he go? His sons saw the way that the man of God, who came from Judah, had gone, and they told their father.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־בָּנָיו חִבְשׁוּ־לִי הַחֲמוֹר וַיַּחְבְּשׁוּ־לוֹ הַחֲמוֹר וַיִּרְכַּב עָלָיו

He said to his sons: Saddle the donkey for me. They saddled the donkey for him and he rode on it.

וַיֵּלֶךְ אַחֲרֵי אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים וַיִּמְצָאֵהוּ יֹשֵׁב תַּחַת הָאֵלָה וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו הַאַתָּה אִישׁ־הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר־בָּאתָ מִיהוּדָה וַיֹּאמֶר אָנִי

He went after the man of God from Judah and found him sitting and resting beneath a terebinth. He said to him: Are you the man of God who came from Judah? He said: Indeed, I am he.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו לֵךְ אִתִּי הַבָּיְתָה וֶאֱכֹל לָחֶם

He said to him: Come with me to the house and eat bread.

וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא אוּכַל לָשׁוּב אִתָּךְ וְלָבוֹא אִתָּךְ וְלֹא־אֹכַל לֶחֶם וְלֹא־אֶשְׁתֶּה אִתְּךָ מַיִם בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה

He said: I am unable to return with you and to come with you, and I will not eat bread, and I will not drink water with you in this place.

כִּי־דָבָר אֵלַי בִּדְבַר ה' לֹא־תֹאכַל לֶחֶם וְלֹא־תִשְׁתֶּה שָׁם מָיִם לֹא־תָשׁוּב לָלֶכֶת בַּדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר־הָלַכְתָּ בָּהּ

For there was word to me by the word of the Lord: You shall not eat bread and you shall not drink water there, and you shall not return by the way that you came.

וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ גַּם־אֲנִי נָבִיא כָּמוֹךָ וּמַלְאָךְ דִּבֶּר אֵלַי בִּדְבַר ה' לֵאמֹר הֲשִׁבֵהוּ אִתְּךָ אֶל־בֵּיתֶךָ וְיֹאכַל לֶחֶם וְיֵשְׁתְּ מָיִם כִּחֵשׁ לוֹ

He said to him: I too am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying: Bring him back with you to your house, and he will eat bread and drink water. The verse notes that he, that elderly man, lied to him, the prophet from Judah. No angel had spoken to him. He may have lied because he yearned for the company of a real man of God, or he may have been caught up in his desire to express his gratitude and affection.

וַיָּשָׁב אִתּוֹ וַיֹּאכַל לֶחֶם בְּבֵיתוֹ וַיֵּשְׁתְּ מָיִם

In any case, the elderly man’s statement undermined the prophet’s certainty. Assuming that this message from the angel had been delivered after his own prophecy, he reasoned that it negated the earlier command he himself had received. He, the prophet, therefore returned with him, and he ate bread in his house and drank water.

וַיְהִי הֵם יֹשְׁבִים אֶל־הַשֻּׁלְחָן וַיְהִי דְּבַר־ה' אֶל־הַנָּבִיא אֲשֶׁר הֱשִׁיבוֹ

It was as they sat at the table, enjoying a friendly meal, and the word of the Lord was with the prophet who brought him back. The elderly man from Beit El received a prophecy.

וַיִּקְרָא אֶל־אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר־בָּא מִיהוּדָה לֵאמֹר כֹּה אָמַר ה' יַעַן כִּי מָרִיתָ פִּי ה' וְלֹא שָׁמַרְתָּ אֶת־הַמִּצְוָה אֲשֶׁר צִוְּךָ ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ

He, the elderly prophet, called to the man of God who came from Judah, saying: So said the Lord: Since you defied the Lord’s directive and did not keep the commandment that the Lord your God commanded you,

וַתָּשָׁב וַתֹּאכַל לֶחֶם וַתֵּשְׁתְּ מַיִם בַּמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֵלֶיךָ אַל־תֹּאכַל לֶחֶם וְאַל־תֵּשְׁתְּ מָיִם לֹא־תָבוֹא נִבְלָתְךָ אֶל־קֶבֶר אֲבֹתֶיךָ

and you returned, and ate bread and drank water in the place about which He spoke to you: Do not eat bread and do not drink water, you will therefore die, and furthermore, your corpse will not come to the grave of your fathers.

וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי אָכְלוֹ לֶחֶם וְאַחֲרֵי שְׁתוֹתוֹ וַיַּחֲבָשׁ־לוֹ הַחֲמוֹר לַנָּבִיא אֲשֶׁר הֱשִׁיבוֹ

It was after his eating bread and after his drinking, and at that point he, the older man, saddled the donkey for the prophet from Judah whom he had brought back. The elderly prophet still sought to act in a friendly manner.

וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיִּמְצָאֵהוּ אַרְיֵה בַּדֶּרֶךְ וַיְמִיתֵהוּ וַתְּהִי נִבְלָתוֹ מֻשְׁלֶכֶת בַּדֶּרֶךְ וְהַחֲמוֹר עֹמֵד אֶצְלָהּ וְהָאַרְיֵה עֹמֵד אֵצֶל הַנְּבֵלָה

He, the prophet from Judah, went, riding on the donkey, and a lion found him on the way, as lions lived in Israel during that period, and the beast killed him, and his corpse was cast on the way; the donkey was standing near it, the corpse, and the lion was also standing near the corpse. According to the natural order of things, if the lion had been hungry it would have eaten the donkey. In miraculous fashion, the lion killed the prophet without tearing his body apart and did not touch the donkey. While the corpse of the prophet lay strewn on the ground with the donkey alongside it, the lion stood by like a guard of honor.

וְהִנֵּה אֲנָשִׁים עֹבְרִים וַיִּרְאוּ אֶת־הַנְּבֵלָה מֻשְׁלֶכֶת בַּדֶּרֶךְ וְאֶת־הָאַרְיֵה עֹמֵד אֵצֶל הַנְּבֵלָה וַיָּבֹאוּ וַיְדַבְּרוּ בָעִיר אֲשֶׁר הַנָּבִיא הַזָּקֵן יֹשֵׁב בָּהּ

Behold, people were passing, and they saw the corpse cast on the way and the lion standing near the corpse; they came and spoke of it in the city in which the elderly prophet lived. They reported this strange sight of a lion that had not torn apart the body and had left the donkey alone, while it remained standing alongside them.

וַיִּשְׁמַע הַנָּבִיא אֲשֶׁר הֱשִׁיבוֹ מִן־הַדֶּרֶךְ וַיֹּאמֶר אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים הוּא אֲשֶׁר מָרָה אֶת־פִּי ה' וַיִּתְּנֵהוּ ה' לָאַרְיֵה וַיִּשְׁבְּרֵהוּ וַיְמִתֵהוּ כִּדְבַר ה' אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר־לוֹ

The elderly prophet, who had brought him back from the way, heard and said: It is the man of God who defied the directive of the Lord, and the Lord has delivered him to the lion, and it mauled him and killed him in accordance with the word of the Lord that He spoke to him. You are unfamiliar with him, but I know the victim’s identity, as I myself prophesied to him that he would die.

וַיְדַבֵּר אֶל־בָּנָיו לֵאמֹר חִבְשׁוּ־לִי אֶת־הַחֲמוֹר וַיַּחֲבֹשׁוּ

He spoke to his sons, saying: Saddle the donkey for me. They saddled it.

וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיִּמְצָא אֶת־נִבְלָתוֹ מֻשְׁלֶכֶת בַּדֶּרֶךְ וַחֲמוֹר וְהָאַרְיֵה עֹמְדִים אֵצֶל הַנְּבֵלָה לֹא־אָכַל הָאַרְיֵה אֶת־הַנְּבֵלָה וְלֹא שָׁבַר אֶת־הַחֲמוֹר

He went and found his corpse cast on the way, and the donkey and the lion standing near the corpse; the lion had not eaten the corpse, and it had not mauled the donkey.

וַיִּשָּׂא הַנָּבִיא אֶת־נִבְלַת אִישׁ־הָאֱלֹהִים וַיַּנִּחֵהוּ אֶל הַחֲמוֹר וַיְשִׁיבֵהוּ וַיָּבֹא אֶל־עִיר הַנָּבִיא הַזָּקֵן לִסְפֹּד וּלְקָבְרוֹ

When he saw that the lion was standing still, the old man dared to approach the spot. The prophet picked up the corpse of the man of God, placed it upon the donkey that had carried the prophet from Judah before his death, and brought it back; he came to the city of the elderly prophet, to lament and to bury him.

וַיַּנַּח אֶת־נִבְלָתוֹ בְּקִבְרוֹ וַיִּסְפְּדוּ עָלָיו הוֹי אָחִי

He laid his corpse in his grave, which he had prepared for himself for when his time would come, and they lamented him: Alas, my brother.

וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי קָבְרוֹ אֹתוֹ וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־בָּנָיו לֵאמֹר בְּמוֹתִי וּקְבַרְתֶּם אֹתִי בַּקֶּבֶר אֲשֶׁר אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים קָבוּר בּוֹ אֵצֶל עַצְמֹתָיו הַנִּיחוּ אֶת־עַצְמֹתָי

It was after he buried him, and he said to his sons, stating: Upon my death, bury me in the grave in which the man of God is buried; place my bones next to his bones.

כִּי הָיֹה יִהְיֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר קָרָא בִּדְבַר ה' עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ אֲשֶׁר בְּבֵית־אֵל וְעַל כָּל־בָּתֵּי הַבָּמוֹת אֲשֶׁר בְּעָרֵי שֹׁמְרוֹן

For the matter that he called by the word of the Lord about the altar in Beit El, and about all the shrines that are in the cities of Samaria, will come to pass. His prophecy will indeed materialize. The elderly prophet was certain that the man of God from Judah had been a true prophet, and he considered it an honor to be buried alongside him.

אַחַר הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה לֹא־שָׁב יָרָבְעָם מִדַּרְכּוֹ הָרָעָה וַיָּשָׁב וַיַּעַשׂ מִקְצוֹת הָעָם כֹּהֲנֵי בָמוֹת הֶחָפֵץ יְמַלֵּא אֶת־יָדוֹ וִיהִי כֹּהֲנֵי בָמוֹת

After this matter, Yorovam did not repent from his evil way, despite the prophecy he had heard, the miracle that the prophet had performed in the king’s presence, and the miraculous manner of that prophet’s demise, and he again appointed to serve as priests of the shrines from the range of the people, regardless of their credentials. Anyone who so desired, he would ordain him, and he would be one of the priests of the shrines. Anyone who wished to be a priest at one of the shrines was accepted for the job.

וַיְהִי בַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה לְחַטַּאת בֵּית יָרָבְעָם וּלְהַכְחִיד וּלְהַשְׁמִיד מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה

This matter, the illegitimate service of God in the shrines and by means of those sham priests, became the sin of the house of Yorovam. Due to this fundamental transgression, God decided to punish the house of Yorovam, to eradicate and to destroy it from upon the face of the earth. Although the priests of the shrines and those who brought offerings there did not actually worship idols, but chose to sacrifice their offerings to God there for political reasons, nevertheless they violated God’s will and thereby performed a severe transgression.