8. The man of God told the king, “Even if you gave me half of your palace, I would never go with you to eat or drink there.
9. When the Lord spoke to me, he commanded me not to eat or drink or go back on the same road I took.”
10. So the man of God left on another road and didn’t go back on the road he had taken to Bethel.
11. An old prophet was living in Bethel. His sons told him everything the man of God did in Bethel that day and the exact words he had spoken to the king. When they told their father,
12. he said to them, “Which road did he take?” (His sons had seen which road the man of God from Judah had taken.)
13. The old prophet told his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” After they had saddled the donkey for him, he got on it.
14. He went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak tree. The old prophet asked him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”“Yes,” he answered.
15. “Come home with me, and eat a meal,” the old prophet replied.
16. The man of God said, “I’m not allowed to go back with you. I’m not allowed to eat or drink with you.
17. When the Lord spoke to me, he told me not to eat or drink there or go back on the road I took to get there.”
18. The old prophet said, “I’m also a prophet, like you. An angel spoke the word of the Lord to me. He said, ‘Bring him home with you so that he may have something to eat and drink.’” (But the old prophet was lying.)
19. The man of God went back with him and ate and drank in his home.
20. When they were sitting at the table, the Lord spoke his word to the old prophet who had brought back the man of God.
21. The Lord also called to the man of God. He said, “This is what the Lord says: You rebelled against the words from the Lord’s mouth and didn’t obey the command that the Lord your God gave you.