Discovery Box2 Kings 1:13-15 
Context1:13 The king 1 sent a third captain and his fifty soldiers. This third captain went up and fell 2 on his knees before Elijah. He begged for mercy, “Prophet, please have respect for my life and for the lives of these fifty servants of yours. 1:14 Indeed, 3 fire came down from the sky and consumed the two captains who came before me, along with their men. 4 So now, please have respect for my life.” 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 5 with him to the king.
1 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tn Heb “went up and approached and kneeled.”
3 tn Heb “look.”
4 tn Heb “their fifty.”
5 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.
