rsv 1Kings:17-19 SEEK
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Now Eli '
jah the Tishbite ,
of Tishbe in Gilead ,
said to Ahab , "
As the LORD the God of Israel lives ,
before whom I stand ,
there shall be neither dew nor rain these years ,
except by my word ."
*
And the word of the LORD came to him ,
* "
Depart from here and turn eastward ,
and hide yourself by the brook Cherith ,
that is east of the Jordan .
*
You shall drink from the brook ,
and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there ."
*
So he went and did according to the word of the LORD ;
he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan .
*
And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning ,
and bread and meat in the evening ;
and he drank from the brook .
*
And after a while the brook dried up ,
because there was no rain in the land .
*
Then the word of the LORD came to him ,
* "
Arise ,
go to Zar '
ephath ,
which belongs to Sidon ,
and dwell there .
Behold ,
I have commanded a widow there to feed you ."
*
So he arose and went to Zar '
ephath ;
and when he came to the gate of the city ,
behold ,
a widow was there gathering sticks ;
and he called to her and said , "
Bring me a little water in a vessel ,
that I may drink ."
*
And as she was going to bring it ,
he called to her and said , "
Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand ."
*
And she said , "
As the LORD your God lives ,
I have nothing baked ,
only a handful of meal in a jar ,
and a little oil in a cruse ;
and now ,
I am gathering a couple of sticks ,
that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son ,
that we may eat it ,
and die ."
*
And Eli '
jah said to her , "
Fear not ;
go and do as you have said ;
but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me ,
and afterward make for yourself and your son .
*
For thus says the LORD the God of Israel , `
The jar of meal shall not be spent ,
and the cruse of oil shall not fail ,
until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth .'"
*
And she went and did as Eli '
jah said ;
and she ,
and he ,
and her household ate for many days .
*
The jar of meal was not spent ,
neither did the cruse of oil fail ,
according to the word of the LORD which he spoke by Eli '
jah .
*
After this the son of the woman ,
the mistress of the house ,
became ill ;
and his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him .
*
And she said to Eli '
jah , "
What have you against me ,
O man of God ?
You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance ,
and to cause the death of my son !"
*
And he said to her , "
Give me your son ."
And he took him from her bosom ,
and carried him up into the upper chamber ,
where he lodged ,
and laid him upon his own bed .
*
And he cried to the LORD , "
O LORD my God ,
hast thou brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn ,
by slaying her son ?"
*
Then he stretched himself upon the child three times ,
and cried to the LORD , "
O LORD my God ,
let this child '
s soul come into him again ."
*
And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Eli '
jah ;
and the soul of the child came into him again ,
and he revived .
*
And Eli '
jah took the child ,
and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house ,
and delivered him to his mother ;
and Eli '
jah said , "
See ,
your son lives ."
*
And the woman said to Eli '
jah , "
Now I know that you are a man of God ,
and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth ."
*
After many days the word of the LORD came to Eli '
jah ,
in the third year ,
saying , "
Go ,
show yourself to Ahab ;
and I will send rain upon the earth ."
*
So Eli '
jah went to show himself to Ahab .
Now the famine was severe in Sama '
ria .
*
And Ahab called Obadi '
ah ,
who was over the household . (
Now Obadi '
ah revered the LORD greatly ;
*
and when Jez '
ebel cut off the prophets of the LORD ,
Obadi '
ah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave ,
and fed them with bread and water .)
*
And Ahab said to Obadi '
ah , "
Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys ;
perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive ,
and not lose some of the animals ."
*
So they divided the land between them to pass through it ;
Ahab went in one direction by himself ,
and Obadi '
ah went in another direction by himself .
*
And as Obadi '
ah was on the way ,
behold ,
Eli '
jah met him ;
and Obadi '
ah recognized him ,
and fell on his face ,
and said , "
Is it you ,
my lord Eli '
jah ?"
*
And he answered him , "
It is I .
Go ,
tell your lord , `
Behold ,
Eli '
jah is here .'"
*
And he said , "
Wherein have I sinned ,
that you would give your servant into the hand of Ahab ,
to kill me ?
*
As the LORD your God lives ,
there is no nation or kingdom whither my lord has not sent to seek you ;
and when they would say , `
He is not here ,'
he would take an oath of the kingdom or nation ,
that they had not found you .
*
And now you say , `
Go ,
tell your lord , "
Behold ,
Eli '
jah is here ."'
*
And as soon as I have gone from you ,
the Spirit of the LORD will carry you whither I know not ;
and so ,
when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you ,
he will kill me ,
although I your servant have revered the LORD from my youth .
*
Has it not been told my lord what I did when Jez '
ebel killed 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 ?
*
And now you say , `
Go ,
tell your lord , "
Behold ,
Eli '
jah is here "';
and he will kill me ."
*
And Eli '
jah said , "
As the LORD of hosts lives ,
before whom I stand ,
I will surely show myself to him today ."
*
So Obadi '
ah went to meet Ahab ,
and told him ;
and Ahab went to meet Eli '
jah .
*
When Ahab saw Eli '
jah ,
Ahab said to him , "
Is it you ,
you troubler of Israel ?"
*
And he answered , "
I have not troubled Israel ;
but you have ,
and your father '
s house ,
because you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and followed the Ba '
als .
*
Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel ,
and the four hundred and fifty prophets of Ba '
al and the four hundred prophets of Ashe '
rah ,
who eat at Jez '
ebel '
s table ."
*
So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel ,
and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel .
*
And Eli '
jah came near to all the people ,
and said , "
How long will you go limping with two different opinions ?
If the LORD is God ,
follow him ;
but if Ba '
al ,
then follow him ."
And the people did not answer him a word .
*
Then Eli '
jah said to the people , "
I ,
even I only ,
am left a prophet of the LORD ;
but Ba '
al '
s prophets are four hundred and fifty men .
*
Let two bulls be given to us ;
and let them choose one bull for themselves ,
and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood ,
but put no fire to it ;
and I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood ,
and put no fire to it .
*
And you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the LORD ;
and the God who answers by fire ,
he is God ."
And all the people answered , "
It is well spoken ."
*
Then Eli '
jah said to the prophets of Ba '
al , "
Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first ,
for you are many ;
and call on the name of your god ,
but put no fire to it ."
*
And they took the bull which was given them ,
and they prepared it ,
and called on the name of Ba '
al from morning until noon ,
saying , "
O Ba '
al ,
answer us !"
But there was no voice ,
and no one answered .
And they limped about the altar which they had made .
*
And at noon Eli '
jah mocked them ,
saying , "
Cry aloud ,
for he is a god ;
either he is musing ,
or he has gone aside ,
or he is on a journey ,
or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened ."
*
And they cried aloud ,
and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances ,
until the blood gushed out upon them .
*
And as midday passed ,
they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation ,
but there was no voice ;
no one answered ,
no one heeded .
*
Then Eli '
jah 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 had been thrown down ;
*
Eli '
jah took twelve stones ,
according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob ,
to whom the word of the LORD came ,
saying , "
Israel shall be your name ";
*
and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD .
And he made a trench about the altar ,
as great as would contain two measures of seed .
*
And he put the wood in order ,
and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood .
And he said , "
Fill four jars with water ,
and pour it on the burnt offering ,
and on the wood ."
*
And he said , "
Do it a second time ";
and they did it a second time .
And he said , "
Do it a third time ";
and they did it a third time .
*
And the water ran round about the altar ,
and filled the trench also with water .
*
And at the time of the offering of the oblation ,
Eli '
jah the prophet came near and said , "
O LORD ,
God of Abraham ,
Isaac ,
and 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 .
*
Answer me ,
O LORD ,
answer me ,
that this people may know that thou ,
O LORD ,
art God ,
and that thou hast turned their hearts back ."
*
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 .
*
And when all the people saw it ,
they fell on their faces ;
and they said , "
The LORD ,
he is God ;
the LORD ,
he is God ."
*
And Eli '
jah said to them , "
Seize the prophets of Ba '
al ;
let not one of them escape ."
And they seized them ;
and Eli '
jah brought them down to the brook Kishon ,
and killed them there .
*
And Eli '
jah said to Ahab , "
Go up ,
eat and drink ;
for there is a sound of the rushing of rain ."
*
So Ahab went up to eat and to drink .
And Eli '
jah went up to the top of Carmel ;
and he bowed himself down upon the earth ,
and put his face between his knees .
*
And he said to his servant , "
Go up now ,
look toward the sea ."
And he went up and looked ,
and said , "
There is nothing ."
And he said , "
Go again seven times ."
*
And at the seventh time he said , "
Behold ,
a little cloud like a man '
s hand is rising out of the sea ."
And he said , "
Go up ,
say to Ahab , `
Prepare your chariot and go down ,
lest the rain stop you .'"
*
And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind ,
and there was a great rain .
And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel .
*
And the hand of the LORD was on Eli '
jah ;
and he girded up his loins and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel .
*
Ahab told Jez '
ebel all that Eli '
jah had done ,
and how he had slain all the prophets with the sword .
*
Then Jez '
ebel sent a messenger to Eli '
jah ,
saying , "
So may the gods do to me ,
and more also ,
if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow ."
*
Then he was afraid ,
and he arose and went for his life ,
and came to Beer-sheba ,
which belongs to Judah ,
and left his servant there .
*
But he himself went a day '
s journey into the wilderness ,
and came and sat down under a broom tree ;
and he asked that he might die ,
saying , "
It is enough ;
now ,
O LORD ,
take away my life ;
for I am no better than my fathers ."
*
And he lay down and slept under a broom tree ;
and behold ,
an angel touched him ,
and said to him , "
Arise and eat ."
*
And he looked ,
and behold ,
there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water .
And he ate and drank ,
and lay down again .
*
And the angel of the LORD came again a second time ,
and touched him ,
and said , "
Arise and eat ,
else the journey will be too great for you ."
*
And he arose ,
and ate and drank ,
and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God .
*
And there he came to a cave ,
and lodged there ;
and behold ,
the word of the LORD came to him ,
and he said to him , "
What are you doing here ,
Eli '
jah ?"
*
He said , "
I have been very jealous for the LORD ,
the God of hosts ;
for the people of Israel have forsaken thy covenant ,
thrown down thy altars ,
and slain thy prophets with the sword ;
and I ,
even I only ,
am left ;
and they seek my life ,
to take it away ."
*
And he said , "
Go forth ,
and stand upon the mount before the LORD ."
And behold ,
the LORD passed by ,
and a great and strong wind rent the mountains ,
and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD ,
but the LORD was not in the wind ;
and after the wind an earthquake ,
but the LORD was not in the earthquake ;
*
and after the earthquake a fire ,
but the LORD was not in the fire ;
and after the fire a still small voice .
*
And when Eli '
jah heard it ,
he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave .
And behold ,
there came a voice to him ,
and said , "
What are you doing here ,
Eli '
jah ?"
*
He said , "
I have been very jealous for the LORD ,
the God of hosts ;
for the people of Israel have forsaken thy covenant ,
thrown down thy altars ,
and slain thy prophets with the sword ;
and I ,
even I only ,
am left ;
and they seek my life ,
to take it away ."
*
And the LORD said to him , "
Go ,
return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus ;
and when you arrive ,
you shall anoint Haz '
ael to be king over Syria ;
*
and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel ;
and Eli '
sha the son of Shaphat of A '
bel-meho '
lah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place .
*
And him who escapes from the sword of Haz '
ael shall Jehu slay ;
and him who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Eli '
sha slay .
*
Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel ,
all the knees that have not bowed to Ba '
al ,
and every mouth that has not kissed him ."
*
So he departed from there ,
and found Eli '
sha the son of Shaphat ,
who was plowing ,
with twelve yoke of oxen before him ,
and he was with the twelfth .
Eli '
jah passed by him and cast his mantle upon him .
*
And he left the oxen ,
and ran after Eli '
jah ,
and said , "
Let me kiss my father and my mother ,
and then I will follow you ."
And he said to him , "
Go back again ;
for what have I done to you ?"
*
And he returned from following him ,
and took the yoke of oxen ,
and slew them ,
and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen ,
and gave it to the people ,
and they ate .
Then he arose and went after Eli '
jah ,
and ministered to him .
*
Ben-ha '
dad the king of Syria gathered all his army together ;
thirty-two kings were with him ,
and horses and chariots ;
and he went up and besieged Sama '
ria ,
and fought against it .