before [or on the east side of] the Jor- terwards make for thee and for thy dan. 3 And it shall be, thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. son. 12 For thus saith the LORD the God of Israel, The pitcher of meal shall not be finished, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth heavy rain upon 4 So he went and did according to 13 And she went and did according 5 And the ravens brought him to the saying of Elijah; and she, and he, and her house, did eat for many days. 14 And the pitcher of meal was not finished, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of God, which he spake by the hand of Elijah. 15 And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. 16 And she said to Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? Art thou come to me to call my sins to remembrance, and to slay my son ? 8 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the entrance of the city, behold, a widow woman was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may bosom, and carried him up into the drink. 9 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me,I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand. 10 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in a pitcher, and a little oil in a cruse; and behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it and die. 11 And Elijah said to her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said; but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it out to me, and af 17 And he said to her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her upper chamber, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. 18 And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried to the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul return again into his body. 19 And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child returned into his body again, and he lived. 20 And Elijah took the child, and brought him out of the upper chamber into the house, and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. 21 And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of God in thy mouth is truth. CHAPTER XVIII. AND it came to pass after many days, that the word of God came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself to Ahab; and I will send rain upon the face of the earth. 2 And Elijah went to shew himself to Ahab. And the famine was sore in Samaria. 3 And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly; for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifties in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) 4 And Ahab said to Obadiah, Go into the land, to all wells of water, and to all brooks; peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts. 5 So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee. And when they said, He is not here: he made the kingdom and nation to swear, that they had not found thee. 10 And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Elijah is here. 11 And it will come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the spirit of the LORD will carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he will slay me. But I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth. 12 Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid a hundred men of the LORD's prophets by fifties in a cave, and fed them with bread and water? 13 And now thou sayest, Go, tell my lord, Elijah is here; and he will slay me. 14 And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself to him today. 15 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him. And Ahab went to meet Elijah. 16 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? 6 And as Obadiah was on the way, behold Elijah met him. And he knew him; and he fell on his face, and said, Art thou then my lord Elijah? 7 And he answered him, I am; go and thou hast followed Baal. tell thy lord, Elijah is here. 17 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD 8 And he said, In what have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me? 9 As the LORD thy God liveth, 18 Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the images of Ashera four hundred, who eat at Jezebel's table. 19 So Ahab sent among all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together to mount Carmel. 20 And Elijah drew nigh unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Eternal be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. 21 Then said Elijah to the people, I, one only, remain a prophet of the Eternal; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 22 Let them therefore give us two bullocks. And let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire to it. And I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire to it. 23 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Eternal. And the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. 24 And Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, Choose ye one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire to it. 25 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even unto noon, saying, O Baal answer us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they limped about upon the altar which was made. 26 And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked at them, and said, Cry with a loud voice, for he is only a god. Either he is thinking, or he hath stepped aside, or he is on a jour ney; or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. 27 And they cried with a loud voice, and cut themselves after their manner with swords and spears, till the blood gushed out upon them. 28 And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the meal offering, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded. 29 And Elijah said to all the people, Come near to me. And all the people came near to him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. 30 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of tribes of the sons of Jacob, (unto whom the word of God had come, saying, Israel shall be thy name,) 31 And with the stones he built the altar in the name of the Eternal. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two Seahs [or half a bushel] of seed. 32 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, Fill four pitchers with water, and pour it on the burnt offering, and on the wood. 33 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. 34 And the water ran round about the altar; and the trench also was filled with water. 35 And it came to pass at the time of offering up the meal offering, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, O Eternal, God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known, this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 36 Answer me, O Eternal, answer me, that this people may know that thou YAHVEH art God, and do thou turn their heart back again. 37 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 38 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces. And they said, The ETERNAL he is God; the ETERNAL he is God. 39 And Elijah said to them, Seize the prophets of Baal; let not a man of them escape. And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the valley of the Kishon, and slew them there. 40 And Elijah said to Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of the noise of heavy rain. 41 So Ahab went to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, 42 And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing whatever. And he said, Go again, seven times. 43 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say to Ahab, Harness thy chariot, and get thee down, that the heavy rain stop thee not. 44 And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heavens were black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. 45 And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. CHAPTER XIX. AND Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time. 3 And he was afraid, and he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day's journey into the desert, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked for himself that he might die; and he said, It is enough. Now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. 5 And as he lay and slept under the broom tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said to him, Arise and eat. 6 And he looked, and behold, a cake baked on the hearth and a cruse of water at his head-rest. And he did eat and drink, and laid himself down again. 7 And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. 8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went on the strength of that food forty days and forty nights unto the mount of God in Horeb. 9 And he came thither to a cave, 19 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and all whose mouth hath not kissed him. and lodged there. And behold, the over Israel; and Elisha the son of word of the LORD came to him, and said Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou to him, What doest thou here, Elijah? anoint to be prophet in thy room. 10 And he said, I have been very 18 And it shall come to pass, that zealous for the Eternal the God of him that escapeth the sword of Hahosts. For the children of Israel have zael shall Jehu slay; and him that forsaken thy covenant, thrown down escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall thine altars, and slain thy prophets Elisha slay. with the sword; and I only am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. 11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And behold, the LORD 20 So he departed thence, and passed by; and a great and strong found Elisha the son of Shaphat, wind rent the mountains, and brake who was plowing; twelve yoke of in pieces the rocks before the LORD; oxen were before him, and he with but the LORD was not in the wind. the twelfth. And Elijah passed over And after the wind there was an to him, and, cast his mantle upon him. earthquake; but the LORD was not 21 And he left the oxen, and ran in the earthquake. after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said to him, Go, return; for what have I done to thee? 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a still small voice. 13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. 14 And behold, the voice came to him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah? 15 And he said, I have been very zealous for the Eternal the God of hosts. For the children of Israel have forsaken thy convenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I only am left; and they seek my life to take it away. 16 And the LORD said to him. Go, return on thy way to the desert of Damascus; and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be a king over Syria. 17 And Jehu the [grand] son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king 22 And he returned back from him. and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh in the vessels of the oxen, and gave to the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him. CHAPTER XX. AND Ben-hadad [the IInd], the king of Syria, gathered all his host together. And there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it. 2 And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said to him, Thus saith Ben-hadad, 3 Thy silver and thy gold are mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliests are mine. |