1 Kings Chapter 13
Showing all 34 verses for 1 Kings Chapter 13.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"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. "
"A man sent by God arrived in Bethel from Judah, obeying the LORD's word, at the exact moment King Jeroboam was standing at the altar to burn incense."
I meet you at the moment you're most invested in something that isn't good for you - not to shame you, but because that's when a real word can actually reach you. Pay attention when truth interrupts your routine at just the right moment; it isn't bad luck, it's an invitation to reconsider before you go further down a path built on self-interest.
"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. "
"The prophet spoke directly to the altar itself, declaring that a future king named Josiah, born into David's family line, would one day sacrifice the corrupt priests of these hilltop shrines on this very altar and burn human bones on it."
What you build matters beyond your own days - the structures and habits you set up outlive you and either bless or burden the people who inherit them. I care less about how untouchable a system looks today and more about whether it's honest, because injustice never gets the last word forever.
"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. "
"The prophet backed up his words with an immediate sign: he said the altar itself would split apart that same day and its ashes would spill out onto the ground."
I don't ask you to believe things on nothing - I give you enough in the present to trust me with what's still unseen. When you're unsure whether to trust a bigger promise in your life, look for the small, honest confirmations already in front of you.
"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 words against the altar, he stretched out his hand and ordered, 'Seize him!' But the hand he reached out against the prophet instantly shrivelled up, and he couldn't pull it back."
When you feel accused or exposed, your instinct might be to silence the voice rather than examine the claim - I'm asking you to resist that instinct. Real strength isn't crushing whoever confronts you; it's having the humility to actually listen, even when it stings your pride.
"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. "
"At the same time, the altar split apart and its ashes poured out onto the ground, exactly as the prophet had said would happen as proof his message was from the LORD."
I want you to be someone whose word is trustworthy - who says what they mean and means what they say, so people can rely on you without having to double-check. Integrity isn't complicated: it's just letting your actions match your words, consistently, even in small things.
"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 said to the man of God, 'Please ask the LORD your God to plead for me, and pray that my hand will be restored.' So the prophet prayed to the LORD, and the king's hand was healed and became normal again."
I'll answer you even when your asking is more about relief than relationship - mercy doesn't wait for you to have it all figured out first. But don't mistake a moment of desperate prayer for lasting change; let the relief you receive actually soften you, not just get you back to business as usual.
"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 then said to the man of God, 'Come home with me, have something to eat, and I'll give you a gift.'"
Watch for the moment someone tries to buy your silence with kindness rather than threats - it's often harder to resist than open hostility because it feels like generosity. I want you to be able to receive genuine kindness freely, but also to recognise when a gift is really a leash.
"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: "
"But the man of God replied, 'Even if you gave me half of everything you own, I would not go in with you, and I will not eat bread or drink water anywhere in this place.'"
Sometimes saying no to something good-looking - money, hospitality, approval - is exactly how you protect the truth you've been given. I ask you to notice when accepting a gift would quietly compromise a stand you've already taken, and to have the courage to decline even when it looks ungracious.
"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. "
"He explained, 'This is what the LORD commanded me: Eat no bread, drink no water, and do not go back the same way you came.'"
Not every instruction I give you will come with a full explanation attached - and that's alright, because trust doesn't require total understanding. Practice following through on what you know is right even in the small, seemingly pointless details; those are often exactly where character is built or lost.
"So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel. "
"So the prophet left Bethel by a different route, and did not return the way he had come."
Getting the big test right doesn't mean you're finished being tested - staying faithful requires vigilance all the way through, not just at the dramatic moment. I celebrate every step of obedience with you, and I also want you to stay alert, because the next test can come when you least expect it.
"Now there 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. "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"Now there was an old prophet living in Bethel. His sons came and told him everything the man of God had done there that day, including all the words he had spoken to the king."
Where you choose to live and who you surround yourself with shapes you more than you realise, even if you don't compromise on paper. I want you to pay attention not just to what you believe, but to whether your daily environment is quietly pulling you away from it.
"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. "
"The old man asked his sons which way the man of God had gone. His sons had seen the route the visitor from Judah had taken."
Even small, casual bits of knowledge you pass along can end up mattering enormously - so hold what you know and share with some care and intention, not carelessness. I ask you to think about where the information and influence you pass on might lead.
"And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon, "
"He told his sons, 'Saddle the donkey for me.' So they saddled it, and he rode off."
Not everyone who shares your title, faith, or calling is automatically safe to follow without question - test the fruit, not just the credentials. I want you to develop real discernment, especially around people who seem to be on 'your side' but whose actions don't quite add up.
"And went after the man of God, and found him siting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am. "
"He followed the man of God and found him sitting under an oak tree. He asked him, 'Are you the man of God who came from Judah?' and the man replied, 'I am.'"
Being honest and open with people isn't a flaw, even when it makes you vulnerable - I'd rather you stay truthful than grow suspicious and guarded towards everyone. But I also want you paired with wisdom: openness of heart doesn't mean you switch off good judgement about what people tell you next.
"Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread. "
"The old prophet said to him, 'Come home with me and eat some food.'"
The most dangerous invitations aren't always the ones that look threatening - sometimes they come from people who seem to be exactly like you, speaking your own language. I ask you to stay anchored in what you already know to be true, especially when the person tempting you seems trustworthy.
"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: "
"The man of God answered, 'I cannot turn back and go with you, nor can I eat bread or drink water with you in this place.'"
Knowing the right answer and saying it out loud is good, but it isn't the whole battle - I want you to also test what you're told against what you already know to be true, rather than let a new claim simply override your convictions. Stand firm, and stay alert to how firmness can still be outflanked by deception.
"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. "
"He explained again, 'I was told by the word of the LORD, You must not eat bread or drink water there, and you must not go back by the way you came.'"
Having clarity about what's right doesn't automatically protect you from being talked out of it - watch for anyone, however credible, who tries to override something you already know to be true with a supposedly newer or better revelation. I ask you to weigh new claims carefully rather than assume the latest voice is the truest one.
"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. "
"The old prophet replied, 'I am a prophet too, just like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with you to your house, so he may eat bread and drink water.' But he was lying to him."
Not everyone who speaks with confidence, or even genuine religious standing, is telling you the truth - test what you hear against what you already know, rather than assuming sincerity or status guarantees accuracy. I want you to trust your own settled convictions over a compelling new claim that conveniently tells you what you'd rather hear.
"So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water. "
"So the man of God went back with him, ate bread in his house, and drank water."
You are responsible for testing what you're told, even by people who seem to have authority - your own genuine convictions shouldn't be handed over to someone else's say-so without scrutiny. I don't want you living in fear of every voice around you, but I do want you holding on firmly to what you already know is true.
"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: "
"While they were sitting at the table, the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back."
Even when you've caused harm through your own dishonesty, you're not beyond being used for something true and necessary - I don't discard people because they've failed, though I do call them to face what they've done honestly. If you've led someone astray, the next right step is to help make it right, not to hide from the consequences.
"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, "
"The old prophet cried out to the man of God from Judah, 'This is what the LORD says: Because you have rebelled against the word of the LORD and did not keep the command the LORD your God gave you...'"
I know deception is real and painful, and I don't minimise how someone else's lie can lead you astray - but I still call you to the responsibility of discernment, because it protects you. When you've been deceived, the way forward is honest reckoning with what happened, not excuse-making, and I meet you there with grace even in the reckoning.
"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. "
"'...but instead you came back and ate bread and drank water in the place where the LORD told you not to - your body will not be buried in the tomb of your ancestors.'"
I don't pretend that consequences aren't real or that 'I was tricked' erases the outcome of a choice - what matters most to me now is how you respond afterwards: with humility, honesty, and willingness to learn, not despair or self-punishment beyond what's needed. Every failure can still become the ground new integrity grows from.
"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 the man of God had eaten and had something to drink, the old prophet saddled the donkey for him - the same prophet he had brought back."
Consequences don't always announce themselves with thunder - often they follow quietly, right after everything seems to have settled down. I ask you to stay aware and humble in the ordinary moments after a mistake, rather than assuming that because things feel calm again, nothing serious is at stake.
"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. "
"As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him. His body was left lying on the road, with the donkey standing beside it, and the lion also standing beside the body."
I won't pretend hard consequences don't happen, even to people who mean well and slip only once - this story doesn't ask you to explain away pain, but to take seriously that choices matter and that a moment of compromise can cost more than it seems worth. Even here, though, notice what follows: dignity and honour still come to him in death, which tells you consequence is never the whole story.
"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 "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"Some men passing by saw the body lying on the road with the lion standing beside it, and they went and reported it in the city where the old prophet lived."
The truth about what's happened tends to surface eventually, carried by ordinary witnesses who simply describe what they saw. I want you to live in a way where you don't need to fear what gets reported about you - and if something you're responsible for does come to light, to face it honestly rather than hoping it stays hidden.
"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 old prophet who had brought him back heard about it, he said, 'It is the man of God who disobeyed the word of the LORD. The LORD has handed him over to the lion, which has mauled and killed him, just as the LORD's word said would happen to him.'"
I don't need you to perform elaborate excuses when you've contributed to someone else's downfall - honest acknowledgement, even quiet and understated, is the first real step towards making things right. Facing what you've done plainly, without spin, is more honouring to the person you've hurt than any amount of self-justifying explanation.
"And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled him. "
"He said to his sons, 'Saddle the donkey for me.' So they saddled it."
Real sorrow for wrongdoing shows itself in action, not just feeling - going back to make things right, even when it's uncomfortable or too late to undo the harm, matters to me. I don't ask you to wallow in guilt; I ask you to do what you practically can to honour whoever you've hurt.
"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 went and found the body lying on the road, with the donkey and the lion still standing there beside it - the lion had not eaten the body, nor had it attacked the donkey."
Some things in life are clearly beyond ordinary explanation, and I don't ask you to force everything into a tidy, naturalistic box - sometimes you're simply meant to notice and sit with the weight of what's in front of you. Let what you witness shape genuine reverence rather than rushing to explain it away.
"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 old prophet picked up the body of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back. He returned to his own city to mourn for him and bury him."
When you've hurt someone, even unintentionally, the way you show up afterwards matters - real remorse takes ownership, does the practical work of care, and doesn't hide from the discomfort of facing what happened. I honour every genuine effort to make amends, even when it can't fully undo the harm.
"And he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother! "
"He laid the body in his own family tomb, and they mourned over him, crying out, 'Oh, my brother!'"
Family and brotherhood aren't only about blood or long history - sometimes real kinship is forged suddenly, through shared grief or shared failure honestly faced. I want you to be able to call people 'brother' and 'sister' not because it's owed, but because you've chosen to love and honour them, even amid mess and regret.
"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 burying him, the old prophet told his sons, 'When I die, bury me in the same tomb where the man of God is buried - lay my bones next to his bones.'"
What you choose to be remembered alongside says something about what you've come to value most - I want your legacy tied to truth and integrity, even if it means acknowledging you once fell short of it. It's never too late to realign yourself with what you know, deep down, is right.
"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. "
"'For the message he cried out by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the shrines on the high places in the towns of Samaria, will certainly come true.'"
I ask you to have the same settled trust that truth and justice eventually surface, even when corrupted systems seem stable and unshakeable for a long time. Let that trust free you from needing to fix or punish everything yourself right now - some things are simply not yours to force, only to remain faithful within.
"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. "
"Even after all this, Jeroboam did not turn away from his evil ways. He went on appointing priests for the high places from among all sorts of people - anyone who wanted the position was consecrated, regardless of background."
I'm not interested in impressive religious titles or offices handed out for convenience or loyalty - what matters to me is a genuine, humble heart turned towards truth. Watch for the moment in your own life when you're tempted to keep doing what's comfortable and self-serving even after you've clearly seen it isn't right; that's exactly the moment real change is being asked of you.
"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 became the sin that led to the downfall of Jeroboam's entire family line - cutting it off and wiping it from the face of the earth."
What you build your life or leadership on eventually shows its true foundation - if it's compromise and self-interest, it tends to collapse, taking down more than just you. I ask you to think honestly about what you're building your influence on, because the people who depend on you will feel the consequences of that choice too.