reel.

And the hand of Yahweh was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

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 may 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 understood, he arose and went 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 broom-tree. And he entreated that he might die, and said: It is enough; now, O Yahweh; take away my life; for I am no better than my fathers. And he lay down and slept under a broom-tree. And, behold, a messenger touched him and said unto him: Arise and eat. And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on the hot stones, and a cruse of water. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the messenger of Yahweh came again a second time and touched him, and said: Arise and eat; for the journey is too great for thee. And he arose and did eat; and he went in the strength of that meal unto Horeb, the mount of God.

And he came thither into a cave and lodged there; and behold. the word of Yahweh came unto him, and He said unto him: What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said: I have been very jealous for Yahweh, 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 Yahweh. And behold, Yahweh passed by. And a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before Yahweh; but Yahweh was not in the wind. And after the wind, an earthquake; but Yahweh was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake, fire; but Yahweh was not in the fire. And after the fire, a still, small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out and stood in 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 Yahweh, 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 Yahweh said unto him: Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when thou comest, thou shalt anoint Hazael to be king of Aram; 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 room. And it shall be 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 seven thousand in Israel 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 ploughing 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; for what have I done to thee? And he returned from following him, and took the yoke of oxen and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave

unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.

Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of king Ahab, king of Samaria. And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying: Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs because it is near my house; and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good unto thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. And Naboth said to Ahab: Yahweh forbid that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.

And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken unto 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 unto him: Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread? And he said unto her: Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto 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 dwelt with Naboth. And she wrote in the letters, saying: Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people; and set two men, sons of Belial, before him to bear witness against him, saying: Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. Then carry him out and stone him, that he die.

And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles that dwelt in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them. They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. And there came in two men, sons of Belial, and sat before him; and the men of Belial witnessed against him, against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying: Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.

Then they sent word 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 Yahweh came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying: Arise, go down to meet Ahab, king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it. And thou shalt speak to him, saying: Thus saith Yahweh: Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying: Thus saith Yahweh: 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 work evil in the sight of Yahweh. Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab every man-child, both him that is shut up and him that is left at large in

Israel. And I will make thy 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, and hast made Israel to sin. And of Jezebel also spake Yahweh, saying: The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the walls of Jezreel.

And it came to pass when Ahab heard these words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. And the word of Yahweh 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.1

B. And Ahaziah the son of Ahab fell down through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and was sick. And he sent messengers and said unto them: Go, inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover of this sickness. But a messenger of Yahweh said unto Elijah the Tishbite: Arise, go to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them: Is it because there is no God in Israel that ye go to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? Now therefore, saith Yahweh: Thou shalt not come down from the bed whither thou are gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed.

And the messengers returned unto him, and he said unto them: Why is it that ye are returned? And they said unto him: There came up a man to meet us, and he said unto us: Go, return to the king that sent you, and say unto him: Thus saith Yahweh: Is it because there is no God in Israel, that thou sendest to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from the bed whither thou hast gone up, but shalt surely die. And he said unto them: What manner of man was he that came up to meet you, and told you these words? And they answered him: He was a hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said: It is Elijah the Tishbite.

Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him; and behold, he sat on the top of a hill. And he spake unto him: O man of God, the king hath said: Come down. And Elijah answered and said: If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. And again he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he said unto him: O man of God, thus hath the king said: Come down quickly. And Elijah answered and said unto him: If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. And again he sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and fell on his knees before

1 It is now generally admitted that the account of Elijah's missions, even those narrated in 1 Kings, is composite. Critics differ as to the parts to be assigned to the several authors; but all are agreed that chapters xviii and xix of 1 Kings are by a master hand, elsewhere unknown. The story of the widow and her son is probably by E, who was not unequal to the rude tenderness of the latter part of ch. xvii, or to its dramatic opening; but the superb scene on mount Carmel, and the unerring psychology of the influence of the storm upon the great prophet were beyond him. The other story (of 2 Kings, i, 1-17) shows the eagerness of the populace to exaggerate any marvels ascribed to the great wonder-worker. The same is true of the miracles of Elisha. They were all spread abroad and magnified before they were collected by E, and before the advent of the literary prophets of the eighth century. The superstitions are from the people; the setting, the style, and the appeal to the emotions are by E, and not unworthy of the author of parts of Genesis and of Judges.

Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him: O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the lives of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight. Behold, there came down fire from heaven, and consumed the two former captains of fifty with their fifties; but now, let my life be precious in thy sight. And the messenger of Yahweh said unto Elijah: Go down with him; be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king.

Forasmuch as thou

And he said unto him: Thus saith Yahweh: hast sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron, is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.

So he died, according to the word of Yahweh which Elijah had spoken.

C. And it came to pass, when Yahweh would take up Elijah by a whirlwind into heaven, that Elijah and Elisha were walking from Gilgal. And Elijah said unto. Elisha: Tarry here, I pray thee, for Yahweh hath sent me as far as Beth-el. And Elisha said: As Yahweh liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Beth-el. And the sons of the prophets that were at Beth-el came forth to Elisha, and said unto him: Knowest thou that Yahweh will take away thy master from thy head to-day? And he said: Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. And Elijah said unto him: Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee, for Yahweh hath sent me to Jericho. And he said: As Yahweh liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came near to Elisha and said unto him: Knowest thou that Yahweh will take away thy master from thy head to-day? And he answered: Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. And Elijah said unto him: Tarry here, I pray thee; for Yahweh hath sent me to the Jordan. And he said: As Yahweh 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 the 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 am 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, 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 into two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters and said: Where is Yahweh, 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 that were at Jericho some way off saw him, they said: The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And

they came to meet him, and bowed down to the ground before him. And they said unto him: Behold now, there are with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master; lest peradventure the spirit of Yahweh hath taken him, and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley. And he said: Ye shall not send. But when they urged him till he was ashamed, 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: Did I not say unto you: Go not!

XVII

OF ELISHA, THE MIRACLE-WORKER AND KING-MAKER

A. The miracles he performed.1 (2 Ki. i, 19-22; iv, 1-37, 38-41, 42-44; viii, 1-6; v, 1-19, 20-27; vi, 1-7, 8-23.)

Now the men of the city [Jericho] said unto Elisha: Behold, we pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth; but the water is bad, and the land miscarrieth. And he said: Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him. And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast salt therein, and said: Thus saith Yahweh: I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or miscarrying. So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spake.

And he went up from thence unto Beth-el; and as he was going up by the way, there came forth out of the city little children and mocked him, and said unto him: Go up, thou baldhead! go up thou baldhead! And he looked behind and saw them, and he cursed them in the name of Yahweh. And there came two she-bears out of the wood and tore forty and two of them. And he went thence to mount Carmel, and from thence returned to Samaria.

Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying: Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear Yahweh; and the creditor is come to take unto him my two children to be bondmen. And Elisha said unto her: What shall I do for thee? Tell me; what hast thou in the house? And she said: Thy handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot 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 thy sons, and pour out into all those vessels; and thou shalt set aside all that are full. So

1 Close study of the details concerning Elisha in 2 Kings, ii-xiii, reveal in him three prominent traits. He was a kind and efficient helper in distress, whether of men of his own class among the "Schools of the Prophets", of a foreigner, or of the needy and sorrowful among the poor; an able adviser of kings and an ardent patriot, not above using shady or desperate means to further the good of his people; and a worker of miracles. But on first reading, only the last makes any impression. This is due to the editors' efforts to give in words a chronological parallel of the reigns in the two native kingdoms and among the surrounding nations. They may have thought that this was what J (whose methods they closely followed) intended for the Twin Kingdoms; but he was only concerned with the four usurpers in Israel during Asa's long reign in Judah, with each of whom Asa had to do. Their attempt was the more confusing, because of the similarity or exact doubling of the names of the kings in the twin kingdoms. The separation of the prophet's different activities, as here given, is as nearly as possible in accord with their original presentment, as worked out by eminent scholars.