2 Kings 21:5

21:5 In the two courtyards of the Lord’s temple he built altars for all the stars in the sky.

2 Kings 21:21-22

21:21 He followed in the footsteps of his father ¹  and worshiped and bowed down to the disgusting idols ²  which his father had worshiped. ³  21:22 He abandoned the Lord God of his ancestors and did not follow the Lord’s instructions. ⁴ 

2 Kings 21:2

21:2 He did evil in the sight of ⁵  the Lord and committed the same horrible sins practiced by the nations ⁶  whom the Lord drove out from before the Israelites.

2 Kings 1:5

1:5 When the messengers returned to the king, ⁷  he asked them, “Why have you returned?”

2 Kings 1:15

1:15 The Lord’s angelic messenger said to Elijah, “Go down with him. Don’t be afraid of him.” So he got up and went down ⁸  with him to the king.

[21:21]  ¹ tn Heb “walked in all the way which his father walked.”

[21:21]  ² sn See the note at 1 Kgs 15:12.

[21:21]  ³ tn Heb “and he served the disgusting idols which his father served and he bowed down to them.”

[21:22]  ⁴ tn Heb “and did not walk in the way of the Lord.”

[21:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “in the eyes of.”

[21:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”

[1:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “to him.”

[1:15]  ⁸ sn In this third panel the verb “come down” (יָרַד, yarad) occurs again, this time describing Elijah’s descent from the hill at the Lord’s command. The moral of the story seems clear: Those who act as if they have authority over God and his servants just may pay for their arrogance with their lives; those who, like the third commander, humble themselves and show the proper respect for God’s authority and for his servants will be spared and find God quite cooperative.