TALES OF ELIJAH AND ELISHA
ELIJAH AND ELISHA
PERSONS OF THE STORY.
Elijah, Elisha, Prophets.
Ahab, King of Israel.
Jezebel, his wife.
Joram, son of Ahab.
A widow in Zarephath, her son.
Obadiah, an officer of the king.
Naboth, a Jezreelite.
A woman of Shunem, her husband and son.
Naaman, captain of the hosts of Syria.
A little Hebrew captive maiden.
Gehazi, servant of Elisha.
Ben-hadad, King of Syria.
A King of Israel.
An officer of the King.
Jehu, a captain of the Hebrew army, afterward king.
Priests of Baal, courtiers, soldiers, servants.
PLACES OF THE STORY.
Samaria, the brook Cherith, Zarephath, Mount Carmel, Mount Horeb, the Jordan, Shunem, Damascus.
Map showing Elijah's Travels, by E. R. Hooker.
ELIJAH AND ELISHA.
STORIES OF THE WONDERFUL DEEDS PERFORMED BY TWO MEN OF GOD WHO LIVED IN ISRAEL.
How Elijah Pronounced the Doom of Drouth. How He Was Entertained by a Poor Widow, and How He Paid for His Hospitality.
(In the Northern kingdom of Israel, a very wicked king named Ahab came to the throne. This very wicked king married a woman named Jezebel, who was even more wicked than himself, and they both did continually that which was evil in the sight of God. They worshiped idols, and they cruelly put to death those who worshiped God. Then there arose a prophet named Elijah, and one day he came to the court of the wicked king and queen, and spoke these words):--
"As the Lord, the God of Israel, liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word."
This made the king very angry, and he would have killed Elijah, but he escaped, for the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there."
So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: [{114}] 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 to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
And the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain thee."
So he arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks: and he called to her, and said, "Bring me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink."
And as she was going to bring it, he called to her, and said, "Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand."
And she said, "As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in the barrel, and a little oil in the 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."
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 forth unto me, and afterward make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord, the 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.'"
And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. The barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Elijah.
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. And she said to Elijah, "What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? thou art come unto me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son!"
And he said to her, "Give me thy son."
And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into the chamber, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. And he cried to the Lord, and said, "O Lord my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?"
And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried to the Lord, and said, "O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again."
And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him to his mother: and Elijah said, "See, thy son liveth."
And the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth."
How the Prophets of Baal Were Tested, and Failed-- How the Lord Answered Elijah in Fire--How the Great Drought Was at Last Broken.
And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, "Go, show thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth."
And Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. And the famine was sore in Samaria. And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly: for, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) And Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go through the land, to all the fountains of water, and to all the brooks: perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts."
So they 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 on 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, "It is I: go, tell thy lord, 'Behold, Elijah is here.'"
And he said, "Wherein have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me? 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 here,' he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not.
ROCK OF ELIJAH'S ALTAR ON MOUNT CARMEL AND OUTLOOK NORTH OVER PLAIN OF ESDRAELON.
Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.
But it is as sanctuary that the long hill of Carmel is best remembered in history. In its separation from other hills, its position on the sea, its visibleness from all quarters of the country; in its uselessness for war or traffic; in its profusion of flowers, its high platforms and groves with their glorious prospects of land and sea, Carmel must have been a place of retreat and of worship from the earliest times. It was claimed for Baal; but, even before Elijah's day, an altar had stood upon it for Jehovah. About this altar--as on a spot whose sanctity they equally felt--the rival faiths met in that contest, in which for most of us all the history of Carmel consists. It is not without interest to know that the awful debate, whether Jehovah or Baal was supreme lord of the elements, was fought out for a full day in face of one of the most sublime prospects of earth and sea and heaven. Before him, who stands on Carmel, nature rises in a series of great stages from sea to Alp: the Mediterranean, the long coast to north and south, with its hot sands and palms; Esdraelon covered with wheat, Tabor and the lower hills of Galilee with their oaks,--then, over the barer peaks of Upper Galilee and the haze that is about them, the clear snow of Hermon, hanging like an only cloud in the sky. It was in face of that miniature universe that the Deity who was Character was vindicated as Lord against the deity who was not. It was over all that realm that the rain swept up at the call of the same God who exposed the injustice of the tyrant and avenged the wrongs of Naboth.
"And now thou sayest, 'Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.' 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. 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? And now thou sayest, 'Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here': and he shall slay me."
And Elijah said, "As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him to-day."
So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah. And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, "Is it thou, thou troubler of Israel?"
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 Baal. Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel to Mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the Asherah four hundred, who eat at Jezebel's table."
So Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together to Mount Carmel. And Elijah came near to all the people, and said, "How long halt ye [{120}] between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him." And the people answered him not a word.
Then said Elijah to the people, "I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord; 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 the wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under. And call ye on the name of your god, 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."
And Elijah said to 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 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 voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped 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 musing, or he is gone aside, or he is in a journey, or perhaps he sleepeth, and must be awaked."
And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lances, till the blood gushed out [{121}] upon them. And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was neither voice, 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.
And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was thrown down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob. And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord; and he made a trench about the altar. And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the wood. And he said, "Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt offering, 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 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, "O Lord, the God of Abraham, of 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. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou, Lord, art God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again."
Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt [{122}] offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, "The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God."
And Elijah said to 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. And Elijah said unto Ahab, "Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is the 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 bowed himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees. And he 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."
And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, "Behold, there ariseth a cloud out of the sea, as small as a man's hand."
And he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, 'Make ready thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.'"
And it came to pass in a little while, that the heaven grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
How Elijah, Threatened by Queen Jezebel, Lost Courage. How He Made a Long Journey to Hear God Speak.
And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and 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 heard this, he arose, and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, 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 prayed that he might die; and said, "It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers."
And he lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, an angel touched him, and said unto him, "Arise and eat."
And he looked, and, behold, there was at his head a cake baked on the coals, and a cruse of water. And he ate and drank, and laid him down again. And the angel of the Lord 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 ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. And he came thither to a cave and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, "What doest thou here, Elijah?"
And he said, "I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy 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 the Lord."
And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And, when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood at the entrance of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, "What doest thou here, Elijah?"
And he said, "I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away."
And the Lord said to him, "Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, thou shalt anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: and Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy stead.
THE WILDERNESS OF THE BROOK CHERITH
Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.
It was in this wild country that Elijah stayed while the drought was wasting the land. The exact location of the "brook Cherith" is not known.
Of this region the following description tells: "When you realize that this howling waste came within reach of nearly every Jewish child; when you climb the Mount of Olives, or any hill about Bethlehem, or the hill of Tekoa, and, looking east, see those fifteen miles of chaos, sinking to a stretch of the Dead Sea, you begin to understand the influence of the desert on Jewish imagination and literature. It gave the ancient natives of Judaea, as it gives the mere visitor of to-day, the sense of living next door to doom; the sense of how narrow is the border between life and death; the awe of the power of God, who can make contiguous regions so opposite in character. 'He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and water springs into a thirsty ground.' The desert is always in the face of the prophets, and its howling of beasts and its dry sand blow mournfully across their pages the foreboding of judgment."
"And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. Yet will I leave me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him."
So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed over unto him, and cast his mantle upon him. And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, "Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee."
And he said unto him, "Go back again; for what have I done to thee?"
And he returned from following him, and took the yoke of oxen, and slew them, and made a feast of their flesh, and gave to the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.
How the Wicked King and Queen Did an Evil Deed, and How They Were Rebuked by Elijah.
And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. And Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, "Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near to my house; and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it: or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money."
And Naboth said to Ahab, "The Lord forbid it, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to thee."
And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, "I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers."
And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread. But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, "Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?"
And he said to her, "Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to him, 'Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it': and he answered, 'I will not give thee my vineyard.'"
And Jezebel his wife said unto him, "Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite."
So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, and that dwelt with Naboth. And she wrote in the letters, saying, "Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: and set two men, base fellows, before him, and let them bear witness against him, saying, 'Thou didst curse God and the king.' And then carry him out, and stone him to death."
And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who dwelt in his city, did as Jezebel had sent to them, [{129}] according as it was written in the letters which she had sent to them. They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. And the two base fellows came in and sat before him: and bore witness against him, even against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, "Naboth cursed God and the king."
Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him to death. Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, "Naboth is stoned, and is dead." And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, "Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead."
And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, "Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who dwelleth in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to take possession of it. And thou shalt speak to him, saying, 'Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession?' and thou shalt speak unto him, saying, 'Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.'"
And Ahab said to Elijah, "Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?"
And he answered, "I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to do that which is evil in the sight of [{130}] the Lord. Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will utterly sweep thee away: and I will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and hast made Israel to sin."
And of Jezebel also spoke the Lord, saying, "The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the rampart of Jezreel. Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the birds of the air eat."
And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and humbled himself. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, "Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house."
How God Took Elijah in a Chariot of Fire.
And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah by a whirlwind into heaven, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And Elijah said to Elisha, "Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me as far as Beth-el."
And Elisha said, "As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee."
THE GREAT ROAD GOING DOWN FROM JERUSALEM TO JERICHO.
From a photograph taken by Prof. David G. Lyon of Harvard University, and used by his kind permission.
This road is the shortest from Jericho to Jerusalem, and therefore the usual pilgrim route in both directions. Pereans and Galileans came up to the temple by it; it was the path of our Lord and his disciples, "when he set his face steadfastly toward Jerusalem"; and from then till now it has been trodden in the opposite direction by pilgrims from all lands to the scene of his baptism. When taken upwards a more hot and heavy way it is impossible to conceive--between blistered limestone rocks, and in front the bare hills piled high without shadow or verdure. There is no water from Jericho till you reach the roots of the Mount of Olives.
So they went down to Beth-el. And the sons of the prophets who were at Beth-el came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, "Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thee to-day?"
And he said, "Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace." And Elijah said to him, "Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho."
And he said, "As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee."
So they came to Jericho. And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came near to Elisha, and said to him, "Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thee to-day?"
And he answered, "Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace." And Elijah said unto him, "Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan."
And he said, "As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee."
And they two went on. And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood over against them afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, "Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken from thee."
And Elisha said, "I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me."
And he said, "Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee: but if not, it shall not be so."
And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, which parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, "My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof!"
And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan. And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, "Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?" and when he also had smitten the waters, they were divided hither and thither: and Elisha went over.
And when the sons of the prophets which were at Jericho over against him saw him, they said, "The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha." And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. And they said to him, "Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest perhaps the spirit of the Lord hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley."
And he said, "Ye shall not send."
And when they urged him till he was wearied, he said, "Send." They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not.
And they came back to him, while he tarried at Jericho; and he said unto them, "Did I not say unto you, 'Go not'?"
THE VILLAGE OF SHUNEM
The little village of Shunem nestled on the slopes of one of the hills which surround the plain of Esdraelon, the scene of so much stirring life and so many battles. Looking across the plain one sees Mount Gilboa, where the great disaster befell the army of Israel when King Saul and sons went down in the tide of defeat which rolled over the host. It is supposed that the Philistine army was encamped at Shunem before the battle. The town was very familiar to Elijah, who often visited it on his travels
How Elisha Healed the Waters.
And the men of the city said to Elisha, "Behold, we pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is bad, and the land is unfruitful."
And he said, "Bring me a new jar, and put salt therein." And they brought it to him. And he went forth to the spring of the waters, and cast salt therein, and said, "Thus saith the Lord, 'I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or unfruitfulness.'"
So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.
How Elisha Helped a Poor Woman to Pay a Debt.
Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets to Elisha, saying, "Thy servant my husband is dead: and thou knowest that thy servant feared the Lord: and the creditor is come to take my two children to be bondmen."
And Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for thee? tell me; what hast thou in the house?"
And she said, "Thine handmaid hath nothing in the house, save a jar of oil."
Then he said, "Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And thou shalt go in, and shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and pour out into all those vessels; and thou shalt set aside that which is full."
So she went from him, and shut the door upon her [{138}] and upon her sons; they brought the vessels to her and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, "Bring me yet a vessel."
And he said to her, "There is not a vessel more." And the oil stayed.
Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, "Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy sons upon the rest."
How Elisha Brought to Life a Boy Who Had Died.
And it happened one day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a woman of wealth; and she persuaded him to eat bread. And so, as often as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. And she said to her husband, "Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, who passeth by us continually. Let us make, I pray thee, a little chamber on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a seat, and a candlestick: and, when he cometh to us, then will he turn in thither."
And it happened one day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber and lay there. And he said to Gehazi his servant, "Call this Shunammite."
And when he had called her, she stood before him.
And he said to him, "Say now to her, 'Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host?'"
And she answered, "I dwell among mine own people."
And he said, "What then is to be done for her?"
ELISHA RAISES THE SHUNAMMITE'S SON.
One of the most touching stories of the Old Testament is that of the rich woman of Shunem, who made a little chamber for the stern prophet Elisha, with a "bed and a table and a seat and a candlestick." Richly did the good man repay this hospitality, when he gave the dear little lad, the mother's only child, who was sunstruck in the hot sunshine of the harvest days, alive and well again back to her arms.
And Gehazi answered, "Verily she hath no son."
And he said, "Call her."
And when he had called her, she stood in the door. And he said, "At this season, when the time cometh round, thou shalt embrace a son."
And she said, "Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie to thine handmaid." But, as Elisha had said to her, a son was born.
And when the child was grown, it happened one day, that he went out to his father to the reapers. And he said to his father, "My head! my head!"
And he said to his servant, "Carry him to his mother." And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out. And she called to her husband, and said, "Send me, I pray thee, one of the servants, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again."
And he said, "Wherefore wilt thou go to him to-day? it is neither new moon nor Sabbath."
And she said, "It shall be well."
Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, "Drive, and go forward; slacken not the riding, except I bid thee."
So she went, and came to the man of God to Mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, "Behold, yonder is the Shunammite: run, I pray thee, now to meet [{142}] her, and say to her, 'Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child?'"
And she answered, "It is well."
And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came near to thrust her away; but the man of God said, "Let her alone: for her soul is vexed within her; and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me."
Then she said, "Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, 'Do not deceive me'?"
Then he said to Gehazi, "Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child."
And the mother of the child said, "As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee."
And he arose, and followed her. And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing.
Wherefore he returned to meet him, and told him, saying, "The child is not awaked."
And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed. He went in therefore, and shut the door, and prayed to the Lord. And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon him; and the flesh of the child became warm. Then he returned, and walked in the house once to and fro; and went up and [{143}] stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.
And he called Gehazi, and said, "Call this Shunammite."
So he called her. And when she was come to him, he said, "Take up thy son."
Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground; and she took up her son, and went out.
How a Great Soldier Was Healed of Leprosy.
Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honorable, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria: he was also a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. And the Syrians had gone out in bands, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife.
And she said to her mistress, "Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! then would he heal him of his leprosy."
And one went in, and told his lord, saying, "Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel."
And the king of Syria said, "Go now, go, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel."
And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, "And now when this letter is come to thee, behold, [{144}] I have sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest heal him of his leprosy."
And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, "Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send to me to recover a man of his leprosy? but consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me."
And, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, "Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel."
So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean."
But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, "Behold, I thought, 'He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leper.' Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage.
And his servants came near, and spoke to him, and said, "My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, 'Wash, and be clean?'"
SHUNAMMITE BOY
Photograph taken by Mrs. Frank L. Goodspeed of Springfield, Mass., and used by her kind permission.
This is a charming picture of a modern Shunammite boy. Just so must have looked the son of the wealthy Shunammite of Elisha's day as he left her in the morning to follow his father in the harvest fields.
Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, "Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a present from thy servant."
But he said, "As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none." And he urged him to take it; but he refused.
And Naaman said, "If not, yet I pray thee let there be given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth; for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but to the Lord. In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant; when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing."
And he said to him, "Go in peace." So he departed from him a little way.
But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, "Behold, my master hath spared this Naaman the Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: as the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and take something from him."
So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw one running after him, he alighted from the chariot to meet him, and said, "Is all well?"
And he said, "All is well. My master hath sent me, [{148}] saying, 'Behold, even now there are come to me from the hill country of Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets; give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of raiment.'"
And Naaman said, "Be pleased to take two talents."
And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of raiment, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bore them before him.
And when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand, and stowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed. But he went in, and stood before his master.
And Elisha said to him, "Whence comest thou, Gehazi?"
And he said, "Thy servant went nowhere."
And he said to him, "Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards and vineyards, and sheep and oxen, and menservants and maidservants? The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave to thee, and unto thy seed for ever."
And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.
How Elisha Returned Good for Evil.
Now the king of Syria warred against Israel; and he took counsel with his servants, saying, "In such and such a place shall be my camp."
And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, "Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are coming down."
LEPERS AT THE LEPER HOSPITAL, JERUSALEM
From a picture by Prof. D. G. Lyon and used by his kind permission
Leprosy was one of the terrible diseases in the days of the Old Testament. It was much more prevalent then than now, and it spared neither king nor commoner. "To be a leper was to be treated as dead--to be excluded from the city as a corpse: to be spoken to by the best beloved and most loving only at a distance: to dwell with none but lepers; to be utterly unprivileged: to be denied the rites of the temple and the synagogue: to go about with rent garments and covered mouth, except when crying 'Unclean! unclean!' to find home in the wilderness or in abandoned tombs; afraid to die, yet without hope except in death."
--Gen. Lew Wallace in "Ben Hur".
And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of; and he saved himself there, not once nor twice. And the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said to them, "Will ye not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?"
And one of his servants said, "Nay, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber."
And he said, "Go and see where he is, that I may send and fetch him."
And it was told him, saying, "Behold, he is in Dothan." Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host with horses and chariots was round about the city. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! what shall we do?"
And he answered, "Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them."
And Elisha prayed, and said, "Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see."
And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said, "Smite [{152}] this people, I pray thee, with blindness." And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
And Elisha said to them, "This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek." And he led them to Samaria.
And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, "Lord, open the eyes of these men that they may see."
And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. And the king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, "My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?"
And he answered, "Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master."
And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.
How the City of Samaria Was Sorely Besieged, and How It Was Wonderfully Delivered.
And it came to pass that Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria. And there was a great famine in Samaria: and after they had besieged it for a long time, so that the city was in desperate straits, Elisha said, "Hear ye the word of the Lord: thus saith the Lord, 'To-morrow about this time shall a[{153}] measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.'"
Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, "Behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, might this thing be?"
And he said, "Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof."
Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate: and they said one to another, "Why sit we here until we die? If we say, 'We will enter into the city,' then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us go over to the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; but if they kill us, we shall but die."
And they rose up in the twilight, to go to the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the outermost part of the camp of the Syrians, behold, there was no man there. For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, "Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us."
Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life. And when these lepers came to the outermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and they came back, and entered into another tent, and [{154}] carried thence also, and went and hid it. Then they said one to another, "We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, punishment will overtake us: now therefore come, let us go and tell the king's household."
So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, "We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but the horses tied, and the asses tied, and the tents as they were."
And he called the porters; and they told it to the king's household within. And the king arose in the night, and said to his servants, "I will now show you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, 'When they come out of the city, we shall take them alive, and get into the city.'"
And one of his servants answered and said, "Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city, and let us send and see."
They took therefore two chariots with horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, "Go and see."
And they went after them as far as Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king.
RUINS OF SAMARIA
Samaria was splendidly situated to resist assault. On a hill 300 to 400 feet above the broad fertile valley, its battlements were beyond bowshot of archers who might be stationed on near-by hills, and on no side could catapults or towers be advanced. But the best situated fortress may be starved out, and Samaria was in terrible distress when one of those blind, unreasoning panics fell upon Ben-hadad's army, and it fled away in the night with the city almost in its power.
And the people went out, and plundered the camp of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord. And the king appointed the captain on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trampled upon him in the gate, and he died as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him. And it came to pass, as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, "Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to-morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria"; and that captain answered the man of God, and said, "Now, behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be?" and he said, "Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof": it came to pass even so upon him; for the people trampled upon him in the gate, and he died.
How Elisha Anointed a New King in Israel, and How a Terrible Fate Overtook the Wicked House of Ahab.
(Ahab the wicked king died, but his son Joram, who was just as wicked as his father, reigned in his stead, and he was helped on in his wicked deeds by the wicked old queen mother Jezebel. But no matter how prosperous and powerful evil men may be, there always comes a time of retribution. Vengeance was now following fast on the footsteps of the wicked members of the house of Ahab. King Joram lay dying of a wound he had received in battle. Elisha saw that the time had come. He anointed privately as king, Jehu, a brave, headstrong young general of the army. Jehu did not wait for Joram to die, but made a bold dash for the throne. This story tells of the wild ride he took (we say, "he drives like Jehu," to the present day), of the way in which he beat down all obstacles in his path, and of the terrible fate which came to the house of Ahab.)
And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said unto him, "Gird up thy loins, and take this vial of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber. Then take the vial of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, 'Thus saith the Lord, I have anointed thee king over Israel.' Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not."
So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, "I have an errand to thee, O captain."
And Jehu said, "Unto which of us?"
And he said, "To thee, O captain."
And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said to him, "Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, 'I have anointed thee king over the people of the Lord, even over Israel. And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish. And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the rampart of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her.'"
And he opened the door, and fled. Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, "Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee?"
And he said to them, "Ye know the man and what his talk was."
And they said, "It is false; tell us now."
And he said, "Thus and thus spoke he to me, saying, 'Thus saith the Lord. I have anointed thee king over Israel.'"
Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew the trumpet, saying, "Jehu is king."
So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. ( Now Joram kept Ramoth-gilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria: but King Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.)
And Jehu said, "If this be your mind, then let none escape and go forth out of the city, to go to tell it in Jezreel."
So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come down to see Joram. Now the watchman stood on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, "I see a company."
And Joram said, "Take an horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, 'Is it peace?'"
So there went one on horseback to meet him, and said, "Thus saith the king, 'Is it peace?'"
And Jehu said, "What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me."
And the watchman told, saying, "The messenger came to them, but he cometh not again."
Then he sent out a second on horseback, which came to them, and said, "Thus saith the king, 'Is it peace?'" And Jehu answered, "What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me."
And the watchman told, saying, "He came even up to them, and cometh not again: and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously."
And Joram said, "Make ready." And they made ready his chariot.
And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu, and found him in the field which had belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite. And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, "Is it peace, Jehu?"
And he answered, "What peace, so long as the evil deeds of thy mother Jezebel and her witch crafts are so many?"
And Joram turned his hands and fled, and said to Ahaziah, "There is treachery, O Ahaziah."
And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength, and smote Joram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot.
Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, "Take him up, and cast him into the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for [{161}] remember how, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the Lord laid this burden upon him; 'Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons,' saith the Lord; 'and I will requite thee in this field,' saith the Lord. Now therefore cast him into this piece of ground, according to the word of the Lord."
But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, "Smite him also in the chariot": and they smote him on the way. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there. And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulcher with his fathers in the city of David.
And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her eyelids, and adorned her head, and looked out at the window. And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, "Is it peace, thou Zimri, thy master's murderer?"
And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, "Who is on my side? who?" And there looked out to him two or three servants.
And he said, "Throw her down."
So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trampled her under foot. And when he was come in, he ate and drank; and he said, "See now to this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king's daughter."
And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her [{162}] hands. Wherefore they came again and told him. And he said, "This is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 'In the rampart of Jezreel shall the dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel.'"
How Elisha Had a Last Talk with the King.
Now after many days Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died: and Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over him, and said, "My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof!"
And Elisha said to him, "Take bow and arrows": and he took unto him bow and arrows.
And he said to the king of Israel, "Put thine hand upon the bow": and he put his hand upon it.
And Elisha laid his hands upon the king's hands. And he said, "Open the window eastward": and he opened it.
Then Elisha said, "Shoot": and he shot.
And he said, "The Lord's arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them."
And he said, "Take the arrows": and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, "Smite upon the ground": and he smote thrice, and stopped.
And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, "Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice."
And Elisha died, and they buried him.