27 June - 1 Kings 17-19

Jude Sat Dec 29, 2018 1:11 am

My soul doth magnify my YAH, and my spirit hath rejoiced in EL my Saviour; For HE that is mighty hath done to me great things; and Holy is HIS Name. Now unto HIM who is ever present in my helpless estate; who is able to keep me from falling and to present me faultless before the presence of His Glory with exceeding joy, unto the King Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, the only wise EL our Saviour be honour and glory and majesty, dominion and power both now and for ever Halleluyah!

1 KINGS 17

1And Ěliyahu the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gil‛aḏ, said to Aḥaḇ, “As יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl lives, before whom I stand, there shall be no dew or rain these years, except at my word.”

2And the word of יהוה came to him, saying,

3“Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the wadi Kerith, which flows into the Yardĕn.

4“And it shall be that you drink from the stream, and I shall command the ravens to feed you there.”

5And he went and did according to the word of יהוה, for he went and dwelt by the wadi Kerith, which flows into the Yardĕn.

6And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the stream.

7And it came to be after a while that the stream dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.

8Then the word of יהוה came to him, saying,

9“Rise up, go to Tsarephath, which belongs to Tsiḏon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to sustain you.”

10And he rose up and went to Tsarephath, and came to the gate of the city and saw a widow there gathering sticks. And he called and said to her, “Please bring me a little water in a vessel to drink.”

11And as she was going to get it, he called and said to her, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.”

12And she said, “As יהוה your Elohim lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar. And see, I am gathering a couple of sticks and shall go in and prepare it for myself and my son, and we shall eat it, and die.”

13And Ěliyah said to her, “Do not fear, go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me. And afterward make some for yourself and your son.

14“For thus said יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor the jar of oil run dry, until the day יהוה sends rain on the earth.’ ”

15So she went and did according to the word of Ěliyahu, and she and he and her household ate for many days.

16The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of יהוה which He spoke by Ěliyahu.

17And after these events it came to be that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was very severe until there was no breath left in him.

18And she said to Ěliyahu, “What have I to do with you, O man of Elohim? Have you come to me to bring my crookedness to be remembered, and to kill my son?”

19And he said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him from her arms and took him to the upper room where he was dwelling, and laid him on his own bed,

20and cried out to יהוה and said, “O יהוה my Elohim, have You also brought evil on the widow with whom I am sojourning, to kill her son?”

21And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to יהוה and said, “O יהוה my Elohim, I pray, let the life of this child come back to him.”

22And יהוה heard the voice of Ěliyahu, and the life of the child came back to him, and he lived.

23And Ěliyahu took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Ěliyahu said, “See, your son lives!”

24And the woman said to Ěliyahu, “Now by this I know that you are a man of Elohim, and that the word of יהוה in your mouth is truth.”

1 KINGS 18

1And after many days it came to be that the word of יהוה came to Ěliyahu, in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Aḥaḇ, and I give rain on the earth.”

2Thereupon Ěliyahu went to present himself to Aḥaḇ. And the scarcity of food in Shomeron was severe.

3And Aḥaḇ had called Oḇaḏyahu, who was over his house. Now Oḇaḏyahu feared יהוה exceedingly.

4And it came to be, while Izeḇel cut down the prophets of יהוה, that Oḇaḏyahu had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.

5And Aḥaḇ had said to Oḇaḏyahu, “Go into the land to all the springs of water and to all the wadis, it could be that we find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, and not have any livestock cut off.

6And they divided the land between them to pass over it, Aḥaḇ went one way by himself, and Oḇaḏyahu went another way by himself.

7And as Oḇaḏyahu was on his way, then see, Ěliyahu met him. And he recognised him, and fell on his face, and said, “Is that you, my master Ěliyahu?”

8And he answered him, “It is I. Go, say to your master, ‘Ěliyahu is here.’ ”

9And he said, “What have I sinned, that you are giving your servant into the hand of Aḥaḇ, to kill me?

10“As יהוה your Elohim lives, there is no nation or reign where my master has not sent to look for you. And when they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made the reign or nation swear that they could not find you.

11“And now you say, ‘Go, say to your master, “Ěliyahu is here” ’!

12“And it shall be, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of יהוה takes you away to a place I do not know. And I shall come to report to Aḥaḇ, and when he does not find you, he shall kill me. But I your servant have feared יהוה from my youth.

13“Was it not reported to my master what I did when Izeḇel slew the prophets of יהוה, how I hid one hundred men of the prophets of יהוה, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water?

14“And now you say, ‘Go, say to your master, “Ěliyahu is here!” ’ Then he shall slay me.”

15And Ěliyahu said, “As יהוה of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I shall indeed show myself to him today.”

16Oḇaḏyahu then went to meet Aḥaḇ and informed him, and Aḥaḇ went to meet Ěliyahu.

17And it came to be, when Aḥaḇ saw Ěliyahu, that Aḥaḇ said to him, “Is that you, O disturber of Yisra’ĕl?”

18And he answered, “I have not disturbed Yisra’ĕl, but you and your father’s house, in that you have forsaken the commands of יהוה, and you have followed the Ba‛als.

19“And now, send and gather all Yisra’ĕl to me on Mount Karmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Ba‛al, and the four hundred prophets of Ashĕrah, who eat at Izeḇel’s table.”

20Aḥaḇ then sent for all the children of Yisra’ĕl, and gathered the prophets on Mount Karmel.

21And Ěliyahu came to all the people, and said, “How long would you keep hopping between two opinions? If יהוה is Elohim, follow Him; and if Ba‛al, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.

22And Ěliyahu said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of יהוה, but the prophets of Ba‛al are four hundred and fifty men.

23“Now let them give us two bulls. And let them choose one bull for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but set no fire. And I, I prepare the other bull, and shall lay it on the wood, but set no fire.

24“And you shall call on the name of your mighty one, and I, I call on the Name of יהוה. And the Elohim who answers by fire, He is Elohim.” So all the people answered and said, “The word is good.”

25And Ěliyahu said to the prophets of Ba‛al, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many. And call on the name of your mighty one, but set no fire.”

26So they took the bull which was given them, and prepared it, and called on the name of Ba‛al from morning even until noon, saying, “O Ba‛al, answer us!” But there was no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the altar which they had made.

27And it came to be at noon, that Ěliyahu taunted them and said, “Cry aloud, for he is a mighty one; he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or it could be that he is asleep and has to be awakened!”

28And they cried aloud, and cut themselves, according to their ruling, with knives and spears, until the blood gushed out on them.

29And it came to be when midday was past, that they prophesied until the time of bringing the evening offering. But there was no voice and no one answered, and no one paying attention.

30Then Ěliyahu said to all the people, “Come closer to me.” And all the people came closer to him. And he repaired the altar of יהוה that was broken down.

31And Ěliyahu took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Ya‛aqoḇ, to whom the word of יהוה had come, saying, “Yisra’ĕl is your name.”

32And with the stones he built an altar in the Name of יהוה. And he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed.

33And he arranged the wood, and cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.”

34Then 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.

35And the water flowed around the altar, and he filled the trench with water too.

36And it came to be, at the time of bringing the evening offering, that Ěliyahu the prophet came near and said, “יהוה Elohim of Aḇraham, Yitsḥaq, and Yisra’ĕl, let it be known today: You are Elohim in Yisra’ĕl, and I Your servant, have done all these matters by Your word.

37“Answer me, O יהוה, answer me, and let this people know that You are יהוה Elohim, and You shall turn their hearts back to You again.”

38Then the fire of יהוה fell and consumed the burnt offering, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.

39And all the people saw, and fell on their faces, and said, “יהוה, He is the Elohim! יהוה, He is the Elohim!”

40And Ěliyahu said to them, “Seize the prophets of Ba‛al! Do not let one of them escape!” So they seized them, and Ěliyahu brought them down to the wadi Qishon and slaughtered them there.

41And Ěliyahu said to Aḥaḇ, “Go up, eat and drink, because of the sound of the noise of rain.”

42And Aḥaḇ went up to eat and to drink. And Ěliyahu went up to the top of Karmel, and he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees,

43and said to his servant, “Go up, please, look closely toward the sea.” So he went up and looked closely, and said, “Not a speck.” And seven times he said, “Go again.”

44And it came to be the seventh time, that he said, “See, a little cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming out of the sea!” And he said, “Go up, say to Aḥaḇ, ‘Hitch up, and go down before the rain stops you.’ ”

45And in the meantime, it came to be that the heavens became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain, while Aḥaḇ rode and went to Yizre‛ĕl.

46And the hand of יהוה was on Ěliyahu. And he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Aḥaḇ to the entrance of Yizre‛ĕl.

1 KINGS 19

1And when Aḥaḇ reported to Izeḇel all that Ěliyahu had done, also how he slew all the prophets with the sword,

2Izeḇel sent a messenger to Ěliyahu, saying, “So let the mighty ones do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”

3And he feared, and rose up and ran for his life, and went to Be’ĕrsheḇa, which belongs to Yehuḏah, and left his servant there.

4But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree, and prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, יהוה, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”

5And he lay and slept under a broom tree, and see, a messenger touched him, and said to him, “Rise, eat.”

6And he looked and saw by his head a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and turned and lay down.

7And the messenger of יהוה came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Rise, eat, for the journey is too much for you.”

8And he rose up and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Ḥorĕḇ, the mountain of Elohim.

9And there he went into a cave and spent the night there. And see, the word of יהוה came to him, and said to him, “What are you doing here, Ěliyahu?”

10And he said, “I have been very jealous for יהוה Elohim of hosts, for the children of Yisra’ĕl have forsaken Your covenant. They have thrown down Your altars, and they have slain Your prophets with the sword, and I am left, I alone, and they seek my life, to take it.”

11And He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before יהוה.” And see, יהוה passed by, and a great and strong wind tearing the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces before יהוה – יהוה was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake – יהוה was not in the earthquake,

12and after the earthquake a fire – יהוה was not in the fire, and after the fire a still small voice.

13And it came to be, when Ěliyahu heard it, that he wrapped his face in his robe and went out and stood at the cave opening. And see, a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Ěliyahu?”

14And he said, “I have been very jealous for יהוה Elohim of hosts, for the children of Yisra’ĕl have forsaken Your covenant. They have thrown down Your altars, and they have slain Your prophets with the sword, and I am left, I alone, and they seek my life, to take it.”

15And יהוה said to him, “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus. And you shall go in and anoint Ḥaza’ĕl as sovereign over Aram.

16“And anoint Yĕhu son of Nimshi as sovereign over Yisra’ĕl. And anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Aḇĕl Meḥolah as prophet in your place.

17“And it shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Ḥaza’ĕl, Yĕhu does kill. And whoever escapes from the sword of Yĕhu, Elisha does kill.

18“And I shall leave seven thousand in Yisra’ĕl, all whose knees have not bowed to Ba‛al, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

19And he went from there, and found Elisha son of Shaphat, who was ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. And Ěliyahu passed by him and threw his robe on him.

20And he left the oxen and ran after Ěliyahu, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I follow you.” And he said to him, “Go, turn back, for what have I done to you?”

21And he turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and cooked their flesh, using the implements of the oxen, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he rose up and followed Ěliyahu, and became his servant.