The Skeptics Annotated Bible (320 page)

3 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.

(13.3, 5)
“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 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.”

4 And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Beth-el, 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.

5 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.

6 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.

(13.4-6)
“His hand, which he put forth against him, dried up … And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored him again.
” Ever the playful spirit, God withers, and then restores, the hand of King Jeroboam.

7 And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.

8 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:

9 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.

10 So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Beth-el.

(13.11-28) So there were these two prophets. The first prophet lied to the second. To punish the second for believing the first prophet’s lie, God sent a lion to kill him.
God’s 87th Killing

11 Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Beth-el: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.

(13:11)
“Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done.”

12 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.

13 And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon,

(13:13)
“He said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon.”

14 And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am.

(13:14)
“And went after the man of God, and found him.”

15 Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.

(13:15)
“Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.”

16 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:

(13:16)
“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.”

17 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.

(13:17)
“For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there.”

18 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.

(13:18)
“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.”

19
So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.

(13:19)
“So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.”

20 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:

(13:20)
“As they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back.”

21
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,

22 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.

(13:21-22)
“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 … thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.”

23 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.

24 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.

(13.24a) “A lion met him by the way, and slew him.”

(13.24b-25, 28)
“His carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase. And, behold, men passed by, and saw the 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.”
After killing the “man of God” for God, the lion hung around with the ass and the carcass on the side of the road for a few days.