² Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and spy out the country.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.

The Message of the Man of God

13 And behold, ^(A)a man of God went from Judah to Bethel ^[a]by the word of the Lord, ^(B)and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. ² Then he cried out against the altar ^[b]by the word of the Lord, and said, “O altar, altar! Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, a child, ^(C)Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be ^(D)burned on you.’ ” ³ And he gave ^(E)a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the Lord has spoken: Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out.”