<p class="bodytext">Elijah<n id="1" /> said to the king,<n id="2" /> &#8220;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8216;You sent messengers to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron. You must think there is no God in Israel from whom you can seek an oracle!<n id="3" /> Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.&#8217;&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

Now, O <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel, keep the promise you made to your servant, my father David, when you said, &#8216;You will never fail to have a successor ruling before me on the throne of Israel,<n id="1" /> provided that your descendants watch their step and obey my law as you have done.&#8217;<n id="2" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon,<n id="1" /> she came to challenge<n id="2" /> him<n id="3" /> with difficult questions.<n id="4" /> She arrived in Jerusalem<n id="5" /> with a great display of pomp,<n id="6" /> bringing with her camels carrying spices,<n id="7" /> a very large quantity of gold, and precious gems. She visited Solomon and discussed with him everything that was on her mind.

So now take<n id="1" /> seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job will intercede<n id="2" /> for you, and I will respect him,<n id="3" /> so that I do not deal with you<n id="4" /> according to your folly,<n id="5" /> because you have not spoken about me what is right, as my servant Job has.&#8221;<n id="6" />p>

<p class="bodytext">I also told the priests and all the people, &#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8216;Do not listen to what your prophets are saying. They are prophesying to you that<n id="1" /> the valuable articles taken from the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple will be brought back from Babylon very soon.<n id="2" /> But they are prophesying a lie to you.

Because he has done this,&#8221;<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8220;I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his whole family. There will not be any of them left to experience the good things that I will do for my people. I, the <sc>Lordsc>, affirm it! For he counseled rebellion against the <sc>Lordsc>.&#8221;&#8217;&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

So these officials said to the king, &#8220;This man must be put to death. For he is demoralizing<n id="1" /> the soldiers who are left in the city as well as all the other people there by these things he is saying.<n id="2" /> This<n id="3" /> man is not seeking to help these people but is trying to harm them.&#8221;<n id="4" />

The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all says, &#8216;You women<n id="1" /> have confirmed by your actions what you vowed with your lips! You said, &#8220;We will certainly carry out our vows to sacrifice and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.&#8221; Well, then fulfill your vows! Carry them out!&#8217;<n id="2" />

Therefore speak to them and say to them, &#8216;This is what the sovereign <sc>Lordsc> says: When any one from the house of Israel erects his idols in his heart and sets the obstacle leading to his iniquity before his face, and then consults a prophet, I the <sc>Lordsc> am determined to answer him personally according to the enormity of his idolatry.<n id="1" />

They replied,<n id="1" /> &#8220;A man came up to meet us. He told us, &#8220;Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, &#8216;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says: &#8220;You must think there is no God in Israel! That explains why you are sending for an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron.<n id="2" /> Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.&#8221;&#8217;&#8221;