按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
Elijah; and they could not find him; he bade Obadiah accompany
him。 So it was resolved they should make a progress; and divide
the ways between them; and Obadiah took one road; and the king
another。 Now it happened that the same time when queen Jezebel
slew the prophets; that this Obadiah had hidden a hundred
prophets; and had fed them with nothing but bread and water。 But
when Obadiah was alone; and absent from the king; the prophet
Elijah met him; and Obadiah asked him who he was; and when he had
learned it from him; he worshipped him。 Elijah then bid him go to
the king; and tell him that I am here ready to wait on him。 But
Obadiah replied; 〃What evil have I done to thee; that thou
sendest me to one who seeketh to kill thee; and hath sought over
all the earth for thee? Or was he so ignorant as not to know that
the king had left no place untouched unto which he had not sent
persons to bring him back; in order; if they could take him; to
have him put to death?〃 For he told him he was afraid lest God
should appear to him again; and he should go away into another
place; and that when the king should send him for Elijah; and he
should miss of him; and not be able to find him any where upon
earth; he should be put to death。 He desired him therefore to
take care of his preservation; and told him how diligently he had
provided for those of his own profession; and had saved a hundred
prophets; when Jezebel slew the rest of them; and had kept them
concealed; and that they had been sustained by him。 But Elijah
bade him fear nothing; but go to the king; and he assured him
upon oath that he would certainly show himself to Ahab that very
day。
5。 So when Obadiah had informed the king that Elijah was there;
Ahab met him; and asked him; in anger; if he were the man that
afflicted the people of the Hebrews; and was the occasion of the
drought they lay under? But Elijah; without any flattery; said
that he was himself the man; he and his house; which brought such
sad afflictions upon them; and that by introducing strange gods
into their country; and worshipping them; and by leaving their
own; who was the only true God; and having no manner of regard to
him。 However; he bade him go his way; and gather together all the
people to him to Mount Carmel; with his own prophets; and those
of his wife; telling him how many there were of them; as also the
prophets of the groves; about four hundred in number。 And as all
the men whom Ahab sent for ran away to the forenamed mountain;
the prophet Elijah stood in the midst of them; and said; 〃How
long will you live thus in uncertainty of mind and opinion?〃 He
also exhorted them; that in case they esteemed their own country
God to be the true and the only God; they would follow him and
his commandments; but in case they esteemed him to be nothing;
but had an opinion of the strange gods; and that they ought to
worship them; his counsel was; that they should follow them。 And
when the multitude made no answer to what he said; Elijah desired
that; for a trial of the power of the strange gods; and of their
own God; he; who was his only prophet; while they had four
hundred; might take a heifer and kill it as a sacrifice; and lay
it upon pieces of wood; and not kindle any fire; and that they
should do the same things; and call upon their own gods to set
the wood on fire; for if that were done; they would thence learn
the nature of the true God。 This proposal pleased the people。 So
Elijah bade the prophets to choose out a heifer first; and kill
it; and to call on their gods。 But when there appeared no effect
of the prayer or invocation of the prophets upon their sacrifice;
Elijah derided them; and bade them call upon their gods with a
loud voice; for they might either be on a journey; or asleep; and
when these prophets had done so from morning till noon; and cut
themselves with swords and lances; (34) according to the customs
of their country; and he was about to offer his sacrifice; he
bade 'the prophets' go away; but bade 'the people' come near and
observe what he did; lest he should privately hide fire among the
pieces of wood。 So; upon the approach of the multitude; he took
twelve stones; one for each tribe of the people of the Hebrews;
and built an altar with them; and dug a very deep trench; and
when he had laid the pieces of wood upon the altar; and upon them
had laid the pieces of the sacrifices; he ordered them to fill
four barrels with the water of the fountain; and to pour it upon
the altar; till it ran over it; and till the trench was filled
with the water poured into it。 When he had done this; he began to
pray to God; and to invocate him to make manifest his power to a
people that had already been in an error a long time; upon which
words a fire came on a sudden from heaven in the sight of the
multitude; and fell upon the altar; and consumed the sacrifice;
till the very water was set on fire; and the place was become
dry。
6。 Now when the Israelites saw this; they fell down upon the
ground; and worshipped one God; and called him The great and the
only true God; but they called the others mere names; framed by
the evil and vile opinions of men。 So they caught their prophets;
and; at the command of Elijah; slew them。 Elijah also said to the
king; that he should go to dinner without any further concern;
for that in a little time he would see God send them rain。
Accordingly Ahab went his way。 But Elijah went up to the highest
top of Mount Carmel; and sat down upon the ground; and leaned his
head upon his knees; and bade his servant go up to a certain
elevated place; and look towards the sea; and when he should see
a cloud rising any where; he should give him notice of it; for
till that time the air had been clear。 When the Servant had gone
up; and had said many times that he saw nothing; at the seventh
time of his going up; he said that he saw a small black thing in
the sky; not larger than a man's foot。 When Elijah heard that; he
sent to Ahab; and desired him to go away to the city before the
rain came down。 So he came to the city Jezreel; and in a little
time the air was all obscured; and covered with clouds; and a
vehement storm of wind came upon the earth; and with it a great
deal of rain; and the prophet was under a Divine fury; and ran
along with the king's chariot unto Jezreel a city of Izar (35)
'Issaachar'。
7。 When Jezebel; the wife of Ahab; understood what signs Elijah
had wrought; and how he had slain her prophets; she was angry;
and sent messengers to him; and by them threatened to kill him;
as he had destroyed her prophets。 At this Elijah was affrighted;
and fled to the city called Beersheba; which is situate at the
utmost limits of the country belonging to the tribe of Judah;
towards the land of Edom; and there he left his servant; and went
away into the desert。 He prayed also that he might die; for that
he was not better than his fathers; nor need he be very desirous
to live; when they were dead; and he lay and slept under a
certain tree; and when somebody awakened him; and he was risen
up; he found food set by him and water: so when he had eaten; and
recovered his strength by that