Prophet Elijah said
to Israel King Ahab, “As the Lord,
the God of Israel, lives, there will be neither dew nor rain in
the next few years except at my word.”
Then
the Lord said to
Elijah: “Go and hide in
the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You
will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to
supply you with food there.”
So
he went and stayed there. The
ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and
evening, and he drank from the brook.
Later
the brook dried up as there had been no rain in the land.
Then
the Lord said to
him: “Go
to Zarephath and
stay there. I have directed a widow there
to supply you with food.”
So
he went to Zarephath and met a widow and asked, “bring me a little water in a
jar and a piece of bread.”
She
replied, “I have no bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive
oil in
a jug to take make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”
Elijah
said, “Don’t be afraid. Go and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf
of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something
for yourself and your son. The Lord,
the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of
oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends
rain on
the land.’”
She
did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the
woman and her family. For
the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry.
Some
time later the son of the woman became ill and finally stopped breathing.
She
said to Elijah, “Did you come to kill my son?”
Then
Elijah prayed to the Lord,
“Lord my
God, let this boy’s life return to him!”
The Lord heard
Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned. Elijah gave
him to his mother.
Then the woman said, “Now I know that
you are a man of God and
that the word of the Lord from
your mouth is the truth.” (1
Kings 17)
After a long time, in the third year,
the word of the Lord came
to Elijah: “Go and present yourself
to Ahab, and I will send rain on
the land.”
So Elijah went to Ahab. At that time the
famine was severe in
Samaria, and
Ahab had summoned Obadiah, his palace administrator.(Obadiah was a devout
believer in
the Lord. While
Jezebel( the Queen) was
killing off the Lord’s
prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them
in two caves, and had supplied them with food and water.)
And
when Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of
Israel?”
“I
have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and
your father’s family have. You have abandoned the Lord’s
commands and have followed the Baals. Now
summon the
people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. Bring
the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of
Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
So
Ahab assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. Elijah said
to the people, “How long will you waver between
two opinions? If the Lord is
God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”
But
the people said nothing.
Then
Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s
prophets left, but
Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. Get
two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them
cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will
prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then
you call on
the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The
god who answers by fire —he
is God.”
Then
all the people said, “What you say is good.”
Elijah
said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first,
since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light
the fire.” So
they took the bull given them and prepared it.
Then
they called on
the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But
there was no response; no
one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.
At
noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god!
Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and
must be awakened.” So
they shouted louder and slashed themselves
with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. Midday
passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the
evening sacrifice. But
there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.
Then
Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he
repaired the altar of the Lord,
which had been torn down. Elijah
took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom
the word of the Lord had
come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” With the
stones he built an altar in the name of
the Lord,
and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of
seed. He
arranged the
wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he prayed: “Lord,
the God of Abraham,Isaac and Israel, let it be known today
that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these
things at your command. Answer
me, Lord,
answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord,
are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
Then
the fire of
the Lord fell
and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked
up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and
cried,
“The Lord—he
is God! The Lord—he
is God!”
Then
Elijah commanded them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away!”
They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and
slaughtered there.
And
Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy
rain.” So
Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent
down to the ground and put his face between his knees.
“Go
and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked.
“There
is nothing there,” he said.
Seven
times Elijah said, “Go back.”
The
seventh time the
servant reported, “A cloud as
small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.”
So
Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the
rain stops you.’” Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a
heavy rain started
falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. The
power of
the Lord came
on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he
ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel. (1
Kings 18)
Elijah
Flees to Horeb
Ahab
told Jezebel everything
Elijah had done and how he had killed all
the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger
to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if
by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”
Elijah
was afraid and
ran for his life. When
he came to Beersheba in
Judah, he left his servant there, while
he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat
down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my
life; I am no better than my
ancestors.” Then
he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched
him and said, “Get up and eat.” He
looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a
jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
The angel of the Lord came
back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey
is too much for you.” So
he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days
and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the
mountain of God. There
he went into a cave and
spent the night.
The Lord Appears to Elijah
And the word of the Lord came
to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He replied, “I have
been very zealous for
the Lord God
Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn
down your altars, and
put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and
now they are trying to kill me too.”
The Lord said,
“Go out and stand on the mountain in
the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is
about to pass by.”
Then a great and
powerful wind tore
the mountains apart and shattered the
rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was
not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was
not in the earthquake. After
the earthquake came a fire, but
the Lord was
not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When
Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and
went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to
him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He replied, “I have been
very zealous for the Lord God
Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars,
and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and
now they are trying to kill me too.”
The Lord said
to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you
get there, anoint Hazael king
over Aram. Also,
anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king
over Israel, and anoint Elisha son
of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to
succeed you as prophet. Jehu
will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and
Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Yet
I reserve seven
thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths
have not kissed him.”
The
Call of Elisha
So Elijah went from
there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen,
and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw
his cloak around
him. Elisha
then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother
goodbye,” he
said, “and then I will come with you.”
“Go back,” Elijah
replied. “What have I done to you?”
So
Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and
slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it
to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his
servant. (1 Kings 19)
Elijah Taken Up to Heaven
When
the Lord was
about to take Elijah
up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah
and Elisha were
on their way from Gilgal. Elijah
said to Elisha, “Stay here; the Lord has
sent me to Bethel.”
But
Elisha said, “I will not leave you.” So
they went down to Bethel.
The
company of
the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, “Do you know that the Lord is
going to take your master from you today?”
“Yes,
I know,” Elisha replied, “so be quiet.”
Then
Elijah said to him, “Stay here, Elisha; the Lord has
sent me to Jericho. ”
And
he replied, “I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho.
The
company of
the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that theLord is
going to take your master from you today?”
“Yes,
I know,” he replied, “so be quiet.”
Then
Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the Lord has
sent me to the Jordan.”
And
he replied, “I will not leave you.” So
the two of them walked on.
Fifty
men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the
place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. Elijah
took his cloak, rolled
it up and struck the
water with it. The water divided to
the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dryground.
When
they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before
I am taken from you?”
“Let
me inherit a double portion
of your spirit,” Elisha
replied.
“You
have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken
from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”
As
they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and
horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to
heaven in
a whirlwind
Elisha
saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and
horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his
garment and tore it
in two.
Elisha
then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood
on the bank of the Jordan. He took the cloak that
had fallen from Elijah and struck the
water with it.
“Where
now is the Lord,
the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right
and to the left, and he crossed over.
The
company of
the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, “The spirit of
Elijah is resting on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground
before him. “Look,”
they said, “we your servants have fifty able men. Let them go and look for your
master. Perhaps the Spirit of
theLord has
picked him up and
set him down on some mountain or in some valley.”
“No,”
Elisha replied, “do not send them.”
But
they persisted until he was too embarrassed to
refuse. So he said, “Send them.” And they sent fifty men, who searched for
three days but did not find him. When
they returned to Elisha, who was staying in Jericho, he said to them, “Didn’t I
tell you not to go?” (2 Kings 2)
