The Children's Bible

by Henry A. Sherman; Charles Foster Kent

So she did as Elijah directed; and she and her child, as well as Elijah, had food to eat. From that day the jar of meal was never empty and the jug of oil did not fail, as Jehovah had said through Elijah.

Now after this the woman's son fell sick; and his sickness was so severe that he stopped breathing. So she said to Elijah, "What have I to do with you, O man of God? You have come to me to remind me of my sin by taking the life of my son!" He said to her, "Give me your son." So he took him out of her arms and carried him up into the upper room where he was staying and laid him on his own bed. Then he prayed earnestly to Jehovah and said, "O Jehovah, my God, hast thou also brought misfortune upon this widow, with whom I am staying, by taking the life of her son?" And he stretched himself upon the child three times and prayed to Jehovah and said, "O Jehovah, my God, I pray thee, give back this child's life to him again."

So Jehovah listened to Elijah's prayer; and the life of the child came back to him, and he sat up. Then Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house and gave him to his mother; and said, "See, your son lives!" The woman said to him, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the message of Jehovah that you speak is true."

THE PROPHET OF FIRE

In the third year of the famine this command came from Jehovah to Elijah: "Go, show yourself to Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth." So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab.

The famine was so severe in Samaria that Ahab had called Obadiah, the overseer of the palace. Obadiah was very loyal to Jehovah; for when Jezebel tried to kill the prophets of Jehovah, he took a hundred and hid them in a cave and kept them supplied with bread and water. Ahab said to Obadiah, "Come, let us go through the land to all the springs and to all the brooks, in the hope that we may find grass, so that we can save the horses and mules and not lose all of them." So they divided the land between them, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another.

While Obadiah was on the way, Elijah suddenly met him. As soon as Obadiah knew him, he fell on his face and said, "Is it you, my lord Elijah?" He answered, "It is; go, tell your master: 'Elijah is here.'" But Obadiah said, "What sin have I done, that you would give your servant over to Ahab to kill me? As surely as Jehovah your God lives, there is no nation nor kingdom where my lord has not sent to find you; and when they said, 'He is not here,' he made each of the kingdoms and nations take an oath, that no one had found you. Now you say, 'Go, tell your lord, Elijah is here!' As soon as I have left you the spirit of Jehovah will carry you to a place unknown to me, so that when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will put me to death, although I, your servant, have been loyal to Jehovah from my youth! Have you not been told what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of Jehovah, how I hid a hundred by fifties in a cave and fed them continually with bread and water?" Elijah answered, "As surely as Jehovah of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will show myself to Ahab to-day."

So Obadiah went to Ahab and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah. As soon as Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is it you, you who have brought trouble to Israel?" He answered, "I have not brought trouble on Israel, but you and your father's house have; because you have failed to follow the commands of Jehovah and have run after the Phœnician gods. Now therefore call together to me at Mount Carmel all the Israelites and the four hundred and fifty prophets of the god Baal who eat at Jezebel's table."

So Ahab sent for all the Israelites and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. Then Elijah came to the people and said, "How long are you going to falter between worshipping Jehovah or Baal? If Jehovah is the true God, follow him, but if Baal, then follow him." But the people were silent. Then Elijah said to the people, "I, even I only, am left as a prophet of Jehovah, but there are four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. Let us take two oxen; let them choose one ox for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, without lighting any fire, and I will dress the other ox and lay it on wood, without lighting any fire. Then you call on your god and I will call on Jehovah. The god who answers by fire is the true God." All the people answered and said, "It is a fair offer."

Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one of the oxen for yourselves and dress it first, for you are many, and call on your god, without lighting any fire." So they took the ox which he gave them and dressed it, and called on their god from morning until noon, saying, "O Baal, hear us." But there was no voice nor answer, although they leaped about the altar which they had built.