23. After the meal the old prophet got a donkey ready,
24. and the prophet from Judah left. Along the way, a lion attacked and killed him, and the donkey and the lion stood there beside his dead body.
25. Some people walked by and saw the body with the lion standing there. They ran into Bethel, telling everyone what they had seen.
26. When the old prophet heard the news, he said, “That must be the prophet from Judah. The Lord warned him, but he disobeyed. So the Lord sent a lion to kill him.”
27. The old prophet told his sons to saddle his donkey, and when it was ready,
28. he left. He found the body lying on the road, with the donkey and lion standing there. The lion had not eaten the body or attacked the donkey.
29. The old prophet picked up the body, put it on his own donkey, and took it back to Bethel, so he could bury it and mourn for the prophet from Judah.
30. He buried the body in his own family tomb and cried for the prophet.
31. He said to his sons, “When I die, bury my body next to this prophet.
32. I'm sure that everything he said about the altar in Bethel and the shrines in Samaria will happen.”
33. But Jeroboam kept on doing evil things. He appointed men to be priests at the local shrines, even if they were not Levites. In fact, anyone who wanted to be a priest could be one.
34. This sinful thing led to the downfall of his kingdom.