Mar 18 - 1 Kings 18-19
1 Kings
1After many days, the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, "Go and show yourself to Ahab, so that I may grant rain upon the face of the earth.2Therefore, Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. For there was a severe famine in Samaria3And Ahab called Obadiah, the manager of his household. Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly4For when Jezebel was killing the prophets of the Lord, he took one hundred prophets, and concealed them, fifty and fifty, in caves. And he fed them with bread and water5Then Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go into the land, to all fountains of water, and to all the valleys, for perhaps we will be able to find plants, and save the horses and mules, so that the beasts of burden may not perish entirely.6And they divided the regions among themselves, so that they might travel through them. Ahab went one way alone, and Obadiah went another way by himself7And while Obadiah was on the way, Elijah met him. And when he had recognized him, he fell on his face, and he said, "Are you not my lord Elijah?8And he responded to him: "I am. Go and tell your lord that Elijah is here.9And he said: "How have I sinned that you would deliver me, your servant, into the hand of Ahab, so that he would put me to death10As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom to which my lord has not sent, seeking you. And when all responded, ‘He is not here,’ he swore each kingdom and nation to an oath, because you were not found at all11And now, you say to me, ‘Go and tell your lord that Elijah is here.12And when I will have departed from you, the Spirit of the Lord will transport you to a place that I do not know. And entering, I will report to Ahab. And he, not finding you, will put me to death. Yet your servant has feared the Lord from his infancy13Has it not been revealed to you, my lord, what I did when Jezebel was killing the prophets of the Lord: how I hid one hundred men from the prophets of the Lord, fifty and fifty, in caves, and how I fed them with bread and water14And now you say: ‘Go and tell your lord that Elijah is here,’ so that he may kill me!15And Elijah said, "As the Lord of hosts lives, before whose face I stand, this day I will appear to him.16Therefore, Obadiah went away to meet Ahab, and he reported to him. And Ahab went to meet Elijah17And when he had seen him, he said, "Are you the one who is disturbing Israel?18And he said: "I have not troubled Israel. But it is you, and the house of your father, who have abandoned the commandments of the Lord, and have followed the Baals19Yet truly now, send and gather to me all of Israel, on Mount Carmel, with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of the sacred groves, who eat from the table of Jezebel.20Ahab sent to all the sons of Israel, and he gathered together the prophets on mount Carmel21Then Elijah, drawing near to all the people, said: "How long will you waver between two sides? If the Lord is God, follow him. But if Baal is, then follow him." And the people did not respond a word to him22And Elijah said again to the people: "I alone remain as a prophet of the Lord. But the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty men23Let two oxen be given to us. And let them choose one ox for themselves, and, cutting it into pieces, let them set it on the wood. But they may not place fire under it. And I will prepare the other ox, and set it on the wood. But I will not place fire under it24Call upon the names of your gods. And I will call on the name of my Lord. And the God who will have heeded with fire, let him be God." And in response, all the people said, "Excellent proposition.25Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal: "Choose for yourselves one ox, and prepare it first. For you are many. And call on the names of your gods, but do not place fire under it.26And when they had taken an ox, which he had given to them, they prepared it. And they called on the name of Baal, from morning even until midday, saying, "O Baal, heed us." And there was no voice, nor did anyone respond. And so they leaped upon the altar that they had made27And when it was now midday, Elijah ridiculed them, saying: "Cry out with a louder voice. For he is a god, and perhaps he is talking, or at an inn, or on a journey, or certainly he may be asleep, and must be awakened.28Then they cried out with a loud voice, and they cut themselves, in accord with their ritual, with knives and lancets, until they were entirely covered in blood29Then, after midday had passed, and they were prophesying, the time had arrived when the sacrifice is usually offered. And there was no voice heard, neither did anyone heed or respond to the praying30Elijah said to all the people, "Draw near to me." And as the people were drawing near to him, he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down31And he took twelve stones, in accord with the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, "Israel shall be your name.32And he built from the stones an altar to the name of the Lord. And he made a trench for water, like two furrows of plowed land, all around the altar33And he arranged the wood, and he cut the ox into pieces, and he placed it on the wood34And he said, "Fill four containers with water, and pour it over the holocaust, and over the wood." And again, he said, "Do this a second time." And when they had done it a second time, he said, "Do it also a third time." And they did so a third time35And the water was running down around the altar, and the pit of the trench was filled with water36And when it was now time for the holocaust to be offered, the prophet Elijah, drawing near, said: "O Lord, God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Israel, reveal this day that you are the God of Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have acted, in all these things, in accord with your precept37Heed me, O Lord, heed me, so that this people may learn that you are the Lord God, and that you have converted their heart again.38Then the fire of the Lord fell down and devoured the holocaust, and the wood, and the stones, and even the dust, and it absorbed the water that was in the trench39And when all the people had seen it, they fell upon their face, and they said: "The Lord himself is God! The Lord himself is God!40And Elijah said to them, "Apprehend the prophets of Baal, and do not let even one of them escape." And when they had apprehended them, Elijah led them down to the torrent Kishon, and he put them to death there41And Elijah said to Ahab "Ascend; eat and drink. For there is the sound of an abundance of rain.42Ahab ascended, so that he might eat and drink. But Elijah ascended to the top of Carmel, and bending down to the ground, he placed his face between his knees43And he said to his servant, "Ascend, and gaze out toward the sea." And when he had ascended, and had contemplated, he said, "There is nothing." And again, he said to him, "Return seven times.44And at the seventh time, behold, a little cloud ascended from the sea like the footstep of a man. And he said: "Ascend, and say to Ahab, ‘Yoke your chariot, and descend; otherwise, the rain may prevent you.’ 45And as he was turning himself this way and that, behold, the heavens were darkened, and there were clouds and wind, and a great rainstorm occurred. And so Ahab, going up, went away to Jezreel46And the hand of the Lord was upon Elijah. And cinching his waist, he ran before Ahab, until he arrived at Jezreel
1Then Ahab reported to Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword2And so Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "May the gods do these things, and may they add these other things, if by this hour tomorrow I will not have made your life like the life of one of them.3Therefore, Elijah was afraid. And rising up, he went away to wherever his will would carry him. And he arrived in Beersheba of Judah. And he dismissed his servant there4And he continued on, into the desert, for one day’s journey. And when he had arrived, and was sitting under a juniper tree, he requested for his soul that he might die. And he said: "It is enough for me, O Lord. Take my soul. For I am no better than my fathers.5And he stretched himself out, and he slept deeply in the shadow of the juniper tree. And behold, an Angel of the Lord touched him, and said to him, "Rise up and eat.6He looked, and behold, at his head was bread baked under ashes, and a container of water. Then he ate and drank, and again he slept deeply7And the Angel of the Lord returned a second time, and touched him, and said to him: "Rise up, eat. For a great journey again stands before you.8And he when he had risen up, he ate and drank. And he walked by the strength of that food for forty days and forty nights, as far as the mountain of God, Horeb9And when he had arrived there, he stayed in a cave. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?10And he responded: "I have been very zealous on behalf of the Lord, the God of hosts. For the sons of Israel have forsaken your covenant. They have torn down your altars. They have killed your prophets with the sword. I alone remain. And they are seeking my life, so that they may take it away.11And he said to him, "Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord." And behold, the Lord passed by. And there was a great and strong wind, tearing apart the mountains, and crushing the rocks before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind, there was an earthquake. But the Lord was not in the earthquake12And after the earthquake, there was a fire. But the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, there was the whisper of a gentle breeze13And when Elijah had heard it, he covered his face with his cloak, and going out, he stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there was a voice to him, saying: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" And he responded14"I have been very zealous on behalf of the Lord, the God of hosts. For the sons of Israel have forsaken your covenant. They have torn down your altars. They have killed your prophets with the sword. I alone remain. And they are seeking my life, so that they may take it away.15And the Lord said to him: "Go, and return on your way, through the desert, to Damascus. And when you have arrived there, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Syria16And you shall anoint Jehu, the son of Nimshi, as king over Israel. But Elisha, the son of Shaphat, who is from Abelmeholah, you shall anoint to be a prophet in your place17And this shall be: whoever will have escaped from the sword of Hazael, will be slain by Jehu. And whoever will have escaped from the sword of Jehu, will be put to death by Elisha18And I will leave for myself seven thousand men in Israel, whose knees have not been bent before Baal, and every mouth that has not adored him, kissing hands.19Therefore, Elijah, setting out from there, found Elisha, the son of Shaphat, plowing with twelve yoke of oxen. And he himself was one of those who were plowing with the twelve yoke of oxen. And when Elijah had gone to him, he cast his mantle over him20And immediately, leaving behind the oxen, he ran after Elijah. And he said, "I beg you to let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you." And he said to him: "Go, and turn back. For what was mine to do, I have done concerning you.21Then, turning back from him, he took a pair of oxen, and he slew them. And he cooked the flesh with the plow of the oxen. And he gave it to the people, and they ate. And rising up, he went and followed Elijah, and he ministered to him