KJV ORIGINAL
And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
Look, a man of God came from Judah by the LORD's command to Bethel, where Jeroboam was standing by the altar to offer incense.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
God sent a prophet from Judah to confront King Jeroboam while he was performing religious ceremonies at his unauthorized altar in Bethel.
📚 Historical Context
This takes place after Israel split into two kingdoms, with Jeroboam ruling the northern kingdom. Jeroboam had set up golden calves at Bethel and Dan to keep his people from traveling to Jerusalem to worship, directly disobeying God's commands about proper worship. The 'man of God' was an unnamed prophet sent to denounce these false religious practices.
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