1. And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of
Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth,
before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these
years, but according to my word.
2. And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
3. Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by
the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
4. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I
have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
5. So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for
he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before
Jordan.
6. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning,
and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the
brook.
7. And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up,
because there had been no rain in the land.
8. And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
9. Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and
dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to
sustain thee.
10. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the
gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there
gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch
me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may
drink.
11. And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and
said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine
hand.
12. And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake,
but an handful of meal in a barrel, 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.
13. And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast
said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it
unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
14. For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal
shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until
the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.
15. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and
she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
16. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of
oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake
by Elijah.
17. 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.
18. And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O
thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to
remembrance, and to slay my son?
19. And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out
of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he
abode, and laid him upon his own bed.
20. And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast
thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn,
by slaying her son?
21. And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and
cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee,
let this child's soul come into him again.
22. And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the
child came into him again, and he revived.
23. And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the
chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother:
and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.
24. And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou
art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth
is truth.
Chapter 18
1. And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the
LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew
thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.
2. And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a
sore famine in Samaria.
3. And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his
house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:
4. For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the
LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by
fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
5. And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all
fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may
find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose
not all the beasts.
6. So they divided the land between them to pass throughout 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 that
my lord Elijah?
8. And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah
is here.
9. And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver
thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?
10. 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, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and
nation, that they found thee not.
11. And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is
here.
12. And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee,
that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee whither I know
not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find
thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the LORD from
my youth.
13. Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the
prophets of the LORD, how I hid an hundred men of the LORD's
prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and
water?
14. And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is
here: and he shall slay me.
15. And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I
stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day.
16. So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to
meet Elijah.
17. And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said
unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
18. 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, and thou hast followed Baalim.
19. 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 groves four hundred, which eat at
Jezebel's table.
20. So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered
the prophets together unto mount Carmel.
21. And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt
ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but
if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a
word.
22. Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a
prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred
and fifty men.
23. 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 under: and I will dress the other
bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:
24. And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the
name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let
him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well
spoken.
25. And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one
bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many;
and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.
26. And they took the bullock which was given them, and they
dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even
until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice,
nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which
was made.
27. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and
said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or
he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he
sleepeth, and must be awaked.
28. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner
with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon
them.
29. And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they
prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening
sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer,
nor any that regarded.
30. And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And
all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar
of the LORD that was broken down.
31. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of
the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the
LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
32. 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.
33. And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces,
and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with
water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
34. 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.
35. 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, LORD God of Abraham, 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.
37. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that
thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart
back again.
38. Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt
sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and
licked up the water that was in the trench.
39. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces:
and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the
God.
40. And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let
not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah
brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.
41. And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for
there is a sound of abundance of rain.
42. So 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 between his knees,
43. And 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.
44. 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 unto Ahab, Prepare thy
chariot, and get thee down that the rain stop thee not.
45. And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was
black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And
Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
46. And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his
loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
