Scriptures

1 Kings chapter .xviij.

¶ And at the last the word of the LORD came to Eliah the third year saying: go shew thyself unto Ahab, that I may send rain upon the earth. And Eliah went to shew himself unto Ahab, for there was a great famishment in Samaria. Wherefore Ahab called Abdiah the governor of his house: which Abdiah feared GOD greatly: insomuch that when Iezebel destroyed the Prophets of the LORD, he took an hundredth of the Prophets and hid them, fifty in one cave and fifty in another, and provided bread and water for them. And Ahab said unto Abdiah: walk thorow the land, unto all fountains of water and unto all brooks, to see whether any grass may be found that we may save the horses and the Mules, that we destroy not the beasts. And they divided the land between them to walk thorow it. Ahab went one way by himself, and Abdiah went another by himself. And it chanced as Abdiah went in the way, that Eliah met him. And Abdiah knew him and fell on his face and said: art not thou my lord Eliah? And he said unto him: I am he. Go and tell Ahab that Eliah is here. And the other answered: what have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver me unto the hand of Ahab, to slay me? As surely as the LORD thy God liveth there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent, to seek thee. And when they said thou wast not there, he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, because he found thee not. And now thou sayest: go and tell thy lord, Eliah is here. And as soon as I am gone from thee, the spirit of the LORD shall carry thee away whither I shall not know: and then when I have gone and told Ahab, and then he can not find thee, he shall slay me. And yet I thy servant have feared the LORD from my young age. Was it not told my lord, what I did, when Iezebel slew the Prophets of the LORD? how I hid an hundredth of the LORD's Prophets, fifty in one cave and as many in another, and provided them of bread and water? And yet now thou sayest, go shew thy lord, that Eliah is here, that he should slay me. Then Eliah said: as truly as the LORD of Hosts liveth, before whom I stond: I will shew myself unto him this day. And thereupon Abdiah went to Ahab and told him. And Ahab went against Eliah.
¶ And when Ahab saw Eliah, he said unto him: art thou he that troubleth Israel? And he said: it is not I that trouble Israel, but thou and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and hast followed Baal. But now send and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel and the Prophets of Baal four hundredth and fifty, and the Prophets of the groves four hundredth, which eat of Iezebel's table. And Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the Prophets unto mount Carmel.
¶ And Eliah came unto all the people and said: why halt ye between two opinions? If the LORD be very God, follow him: or if Baal be he follow him. And the people answered him not one word. Then said Eliah unto the people: I onely remain of the LORD's Prophets, and Baal's Prophets are four hundredth and fifty. Let two oxen be given us, and let them choose the one and cut him in pieces and lay him on wood, and put no fire under. And I will dress the other and put him on wood, and will put no fire under. And call ye on the name of your God, and I will call on the name of the LORD. And then the God that answereth by fire, he is the very God. And all the people said: it is well spoken. Then said Eliah unto the Prophets of Baal, choose you an ox and dress him first (for ye are many) and call on the name of your God, but put no fire under. And they took the ox that was given them and dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning to noon saying: O Baal hear us. But there was no voice nor answer. And they leapt about the altar that they had made. And at noon Eliah mocked them and said: call loud (for he is a God: but he is talking, or occupied, or in the way, or haply he sleepeth) that he may awake. And they cried loud, and cut themselves, as their manner was, with knives and lances, till the blood flowed on them. And when midday was passed, they prophesied until it was time to offer. But there was neither voice nor answer nor any that regarded them. Then Eliah said to all the folk: come to me. And all the people came to him. And he mended the altar of the LORD that was broken. And he took twelve stones according to the number of the twelve tribes of the sons of Iacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came saying: Israel shall be thy name. And with the stones he made an altar in the name of the LORD. And he made a gutter round about the altar, able to receive two pecks of corn. And he put the wood in order, and hewed the ox in pieces, and put him on the wood, and said: fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the sacrifice and on the wood. And he said: do so again. And they did so again. Then he said: do it the third time. And they did so the third time. And the water ran round about the altar, and the gutter was full of water also. And when offering time was come, Eliah the prophet went to and said: LORD God of Abraham, Isaac and of Israel, let it be known this day, that thou art the God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I do all these things at thy commandment. Hear me O LORD, hear me, that this people may know, that thou LORD, art the God, and that thou hast turned their hearts backward. And there fell fire from the LORD and consumed the sacrifice and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the gutter. And when all the people saw that, they fell on their faces and said: the LORD he is God, the LORD he is God. Then said Eliah unto them, lay hands on the Prophets of Baal, let not one of them escape. And when they had taken them, Eliah brought them down unto the brook Kison, and slew them there.
¶ Then Eliah said unto Ahab, get thee up and eat and drink, for there is a sound of much rain. And when Ahab went up to eat and to drink, Eliah went up to the top of mount Carmel. And bowed himself to the earth, and put his face between his knees, and said to his servant: go up and look toward the sea. And he went up and looked, and said: here is nothing. And he said go again seven times. And the seventh time he said: behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like the palm of a man's hand. Then he said: go and say to Ahab, put the horses in the chariot, and get thee down that the rain stop thee not. And within a little while, heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Iezrahel. And the hand of the LORD was on Eliah, and he girded up his loins and ran before Ahab, till they came to Iezrahel.

Chapter: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22]