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the chronicles of the kings of Israel? So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria: and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.

LESSON LXVIII

ELIJAH AND BAAL

I KINGS 16.29 to 18.46

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16. 29. And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years. And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of Jehovah above all that were before him. And it came to pass, 5 as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And 10 Ahab made the Ashérah; and Ahab did more to provoke Jehovah the God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

17.1. And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of Tishbeh in Gilead, said unto Ahab, As Jehovah the God of Israel liveth, before 15 whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. And the word of Jehovah came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is east of Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have com- 20 manded the ravens to feed thee there. So he went and did according unto the word of Jehovah : for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. And it came 25

to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.

18.1. And it came to pass after many days, that the word of Jehovah came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth. And 30 Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore

famine in Samaria.

And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the

governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared Jehovah greatly: for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of Jehovah, 35 that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) 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. So they 40 divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Is it thou, my lord Elijah? And he answered him, I am : go, tell thy lord, 45 Behold, Elijah is here. And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me? As Jehovah 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 50 nation, that they found thee not. And now thou sayest, Go, And it shall come to pass,

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tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here. as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of Jehovah 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 serv55 ant fear Jehovah from my youth. Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of Jehovah, how I hid an hundred men of Jehovah's prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water? And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me. 60 And Elijah said, As Jehovah of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day. So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

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18.17. And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that 65 Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of Jehovah, and thou hast followed the Baals. Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the 70 prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the Ashérah four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table. So Ahab

sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel. And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if Jehovah be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. 75 And the people answered him not a word. Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of Jehovah ; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 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 80 no fire under and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of Jehovah: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, 85 Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under. 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 90 voice, nor any that answered. And they danced in halting wise about the altar which was made. 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 95 be awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with swords and lances, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it came to pass, when midday was past, that they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was neither voice, 100 nor any to answer, nor any that regarded. And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. Jehovah that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto 105 whom the word of Jehovah came, saying, Israel shall be thy name and with the stones he built an altar in the name of Jehovah and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two 1 measures of seed. And he put the wood in 1 The word translated measure here is "seah." A seah was one-third of an ephah.

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And he repaired the altar of

And when all the people they said, Jehovah, he is And Elijah said unto them,

110 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. 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. And the water ran 115 round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Jehovah 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 120 that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O Jehovah, hear me, that this people may know that thou art Jehovah the God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of Jehovah fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked 125 up the water that was in the trench. saw it, they fell on their faces: and the God; Jehovah, he is the God. Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. they took them and Elijah brought them down to the brook 130 Kishon, and slew them there. And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. 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, and said to his servant, Go 135 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 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 140 get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass in a little while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. And the hand of Jehovah was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

And

LESSON LXIX

ELIJAH AND AHAB

I KINGS 19, 21

19.1. And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time. And when he 5 saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth 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 juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O 10 Jehovah, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and 15 drink, and laid him down again. And the angel of Jehovah came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God. 20 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of Jehovah came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for Jehovah the God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy 25 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 Jehovah. And, behold, Jehovah passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before Jehovah ; but Jehovah was not in the 30 wind and after the wind an earthquake; but Jehovah was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but Jehovah was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

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