I am sending him because he has been longing to see you, and he was very distressed that you heard he was ill.And he certainly was ill; in fact, he almost died. But God had mercy on him— and also on me, so that I would not have one sorrow after another.
That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!
“ Go back to Hezekiah, the leader of my people. Tell him,‘ This is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you, and three days from now you will get out of bed and go to the Temple of the Lord.I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my own honor and for the sake of my servant David.’”
They replied,“ A man came up to us and told us to go back to the king and give him this message.‘ This is what the Lord says: Is there no God in Israel? Why are you sending men to Baal zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether you will recover? Therefore, because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.’”
And Elijah said to the king,“ This is what the Lord says: Why did you send messengers to Baal zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether you will recover? Is there no God in Israel to answer your question? Therefore, because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.”