2 Kings 1:3

1:3 But the Lord’s angelic messenger told Elijah the Tishbite, “Get up, go to meet the messengers from the king of Samaria. Say this to them: ‘You must think there is no God in Israel! That explains why you are on your way to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub the god of Ekron.¹

2 Kings 1:16

1:16 Elijah² said to the king,³ “This is what the Lord says, ‘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!⁴ Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.’”⁵

2 Kings 7:9

7:9 Then they said to one another, “It’s not right what we’re doing! This is a day to celebrate, but we haven’t told anyone.⁶ If we wait until dawn,⁷ we’ll be punished.⁸ So come on, let’s go and inform the royal palace.”

2 Kings 9:11

9:11 When Jehu rejoined⁹ his master’s servants, they¹⁰ asked him, “Is everything all right?¹¹ Why did this madman visit you?” He replied, “Ah, it’s not important. You know what kind of man he is and the kinds of things he says.”¹²

2 Kings 9:18

9:18 So the horseman¹³ went to meet him and said, “This is what the king says, ‘Is everything all right?’”¹⁴ Jehu replied, “None of your business!¹⁵ Follow me.” The watchman reported, “The messenger reached them, but hasn’t started back.”

2 Kings 10:19

10:19 So now, bring to me all the prophets of Baal, as well as all his servants and priests.¹⁶ None of them must be absent, for I am offering a great sacrifice to Baal. Any of them who fail to appear will lose their lives.” But Jehu was tricking them¹⁷ so he could destroy the servants of Baal.

2 Kings 14:9

14:9 King Jehoash of Israel sent this message back to King Amaziah of Judah, “A thornbush in Lebanon sent this message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal¹⁸ of Lebanon came by and trampled down the thorn.¹⁹

¹tn Heb “Is it because there is no God in Israel [that] you are going to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron?” The translation seeks to bring out the sarcastic tone of the rhetorical question.

²tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³tn Heb “him”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴tn Heb “Because you sent messengers to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron, is there no God in Israel to inquire of his word?”

⁵sn For the third time in this chapter we read the Lord’s sarcastic question to king and the accompanying announcement of judgment. The repetition emphasizes one of the chapter’s main themes. Israel’s leaders should seek guidance from their own God, not a pagan deity, for Israel’s sovereign God is the one who controls life and death.

⁶tn Heb “this day is a day of good news and we are keeping silent.”

⁷tn Heb “the light of the morning.”

⁸tn Heb “punishment will find us.”

⁹tn Heb “went out to.”

¹⁰tc The MT has the singular, “he said,” but many witnesses correctly read the plural.

¹¹tn Heb “Is there peace?”

¹²tn Heb “He said, ‘You, you know the man and his thoughts.’” Jehu tries to deflect their question by reminding them that the man is an eccentric individual who says strange things. His reply suggests that the man said nothing of importance. The translation seeks to bring out the tone and intent of Jehu’s reply.

¹³tn Heb “the rider of the horse.”

¹⁴tn Heb “Is there peace?”

¹⁵tn Heb “What concerning you and concerning peace?” That is, “What concern is that to you?”

¹⁶tn Heb “and now, all the prophets of Baal, all his servants and all his priests summon to me.”

¹⁷tn Heb “acted with deception [or, ‘trickery’].”

¹⁸tn Heb “the animal of the field.”

¹⁹sn Judah is the thorn in the allegory. Amaziah’s success has deceived him into thinking he is on the same level as the major powers in the area (symbolized by the cedar). In reality he is not capable of withstanding an attack by a real military power such as Israel (symbolized by the wild animal).