8

9

And the word of Jehovah came to him, saying: Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Zidon, and abide there. Behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain 10 thee. And he arose, and went to Zarephath. And he came to the entrance of the city; and behold there a widow woman, gathering sticks. And he called to her, and said: Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in the vessel, that I may drink. 11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said: 12 Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand. And

she said: As Jehovah thy God lives, I have not a loaf, but a handful of meal in the bucket, and a little oil in the cruse. And, behold, I am gathering a few sticks, that I may go in and prepare it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and 13 die. And Elijah said to her: Fear not; go in, do as thou hast said. But make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it out to me, and afterward make for thee and for thy son. 14 For thus says Jehovah, God of Israel: The bucket of meal shall not be spent, nor shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day 15 that Jehovah shall give rain on the face of the ground. And

she went, and did according to the word of Elijah. And he, 16 and she, and her house, did eat many days. The bucket of meal was not spent, nor did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spoke by Elijah.

17

And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, was sick; and his sickness 18 was very sore, so that there was no breath left in him. And she said to Elijah: What have I to do with thee, thou man of God? Camest thou to me to bring my sin to remem19 brance, and to slay my son ? And he said to her: Give me thy son. And he took him from her bosom, and carried him up into the upper-chamber, where he abode, and laid him on 20 his own bed. And he cried to Jehovah, and said: Jehovah my God, hast thou also upon the widow with whom I sojourn 21 brought evil, by slaying her son? And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried to Jehovah, and said: Jehovah my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into 22 him again. And Jehovah heard the voice of Elijah; and

the soul of the child came into him again, and he lived. 23 And Elijah took the child, and brought him down from the upper-chamber into the house, and gave him to his mother; 24 and Elijah said: See, thy son lives. And the woman said to Elijah: Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and the word of Jehovah in thy mouth is truth.

1 AND it came to pass after many days, that the word of Jehovah came to Elijah in the third year, saying: Go, show thyself to Ahab; and I will send rain upon the face of the 2 ground. And Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. And 3 the famine was sore in Samaria. And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the house. Now Obadiah feared Jehovah 4 greatly. And it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of Jehovah, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them, by fifty men in a cave, and sustained them with bread 5 and water. And Ahab said to Obadiah: Go through the land, to all fountains of water, and to all brooks. Perhaps we shall find grass, and save the horses and mules alive, that 6 we lose not any of the beasts. of the beasts. And they divided the land between them, to pass through it. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.

7

And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him. And he knew him, and fell on his face, and said: Art thou 8 here, my lord Elijah? And he answered him, I am. Go, 9 tell thy lord, behold, Elijah is here. And he said: In what have I sinned, that thou wouldst deliver thy servant into the 10 hand of Ahab, to slay me? As Jehovah thy God lives, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord has not sent to seek thee; and when they said: He is not here, he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee 11 not. And now thou sayest: Go, tell thy lord, behold, Elijah 12 is here. And it will be, when I am gone from thee, that

the Spirit of Jehovah will take thee whither I know not; and when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he will slay me. And I thy servant fear Jehovah from my 13 youth. Was it not told my lord what I did, when Jezebel

slew the prophets of Jehovah; and I hid a hundred men of Jehovah's prophets, by fifty men in a cave, and sustained 14 them with bread and water? And now thou sayest: Go, tell 15 thy lord, behold, Elijah is here; and he will slay me. And Elijah said: As Jehovah of hosts lives, before whom I stand, 16 I will surely show myself to him to-day. And Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah. And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab 18 said to him: Art thou here, thou troubler of Israel?

17

:

And

he said I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments 19 of Jehovah, and thou hast gone after the Baals. And now send, gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel; and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of 20 Ashera four hundred, who eat at Jezebel's table. And Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets 21 together unto mount Carmel. And Elijah came to all the people, and said: How long halt ye between two opinions? If Jehovah be God, follow him; and if Baal, then follow 22 him. And the people answered him not a word. And Elijah

said to the people: I, I only, remain a prophet of Jehovah ; 23 and Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let there be given us two bullocks. And let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put to it no fire; and I will prepare the other 24 bullock, and lay it on the wood, and put to it no fire. And

call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of Jehovah; and the God that answers by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said: It is well 25 spoken. And Elijah said to the prophets of Baal: Choose

V. 18. Ye have forsaken; thou and thy father's house.-And thou hast added to their sins the worship of Baal. The worship of the golden calves, though a virtual denial of Jehovah and subversive of his spiritual service, yet recognized the traditions of a national deliverance, and a bond of national unity. Compare ch. 12: 28 with Ex. 32: 4. With the worship of Baal came in a foreign religion, and the contaminations of heathen idolatry; tending to blot out all trace and remembrance of the national relation to Jehovah, and the nature of his worship. "Jeroboam's calf-worship might still seem to be Jehovah-worship, but the Baal and Astarte [Ashera] worship, never." Schaff's edition of Lange's Commentary. - The Baals. See the note on Judges 2: 11.--V. 21. How long hall ye; like a lame man, limping from side to side. Two opinions; or, two parties.

for you one bullock, and prepare it first, for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, and put to it no fire. 26 And they took the bullock that was given them, and prepared it; and they called on the name of Baal from morning and till noon, saying: O Baal, answer us. And there was no voice, and no one answered. And they danced about the 27 altar that was made. And it came to pass at noon, that

Elijah mocked them, and said: Cry, with a loud voice; for he is a god. Either he is talking, or he is gone aside, or he is on a journey; perhaps he is asleep, and must be waked. 28 And they cried with a loud voice, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lances, till the blood gushed 29 out upon them. And it was so, when mid-day was past, that they raved till toward the offering of the [evening] sacrifice. And there was no voice, and no one answered, and no one heeded.

30

And Elijah said to all the people: Come near to me. And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar 31 of Jehovah that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob,-to whom the word of Jehovah came, saying: Israel 32 shall be thy name,-and with the stones he built an altar in the name of Jehovah. And he made a trench about the 33 altar, as great as would contain two seahs of seed. And he

put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood. And he said: Fill four buckets with water,

34 and pour it on the burnt-offering, and on the wood. 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 35 time. And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.

36

And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the [evening] sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said: Jehovah, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel; let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel; and that I am

V. 22. Seah; a measure holding about three gallons.-V. 36. The evening sacrifice was offered, probably, about three o'clock on the afternoon.

thy servant, and have done all these things at thy word. 37 Answer me, O Jehovah, answer me; that this people may know that thou Jehovah art God, and thou turnest back 38 their heart. And there fell fire from Jehovah; and it consumed the burnt-offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And all the people saw it, and they fell on their faces; and 40 they said: Jehovah, he is God; Jehovah, he is God. And Elijah said to them: Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

41

And Elijah said to Ahab : Go up, eat and drink; for there 42 is a sound of abundance of rain. And Ahab went up, 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 43 between his knees. And he said to his servant: Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked; and he said: There is nothing. And he said: Go again, seven times. 44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said: Behold,

a little cloud like a man's hand, rising from the sea. And he said, go up, say to Ahab: Prepare thy chariot and go down, 45 that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass meanwhile,

that the heavens were black with clouds and wind, and there 46 was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. And the hand of Jehovah was upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

1 AND Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done; and all 2 how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. And 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 3 one of them, by this time to-morrow. And when he saw

V. 40. The Kishon flowed into the Mediterranean at the foot of mount Carmel. When swollen by the heavy rains, it would carry off the dead bodies into the sea.-"Elijah's act is to be justified by the express command of the law, that idolatrous Israelites should be put to death, and by the right of a prophet, under the theocracy, to execute the law when the king failed in his duty." (Speaker's Commentary.)—V. 46. The hand of Jehovah was upon Elijah. See the note on Is. 8: 11.