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Elijah
Proves God upon Mt. Carmel
"And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said
unto him, art thou he that troubleth 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 Baalim. Now therefore send,
and gather me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of
Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four
hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table.
"So Ahab sent unto all the
children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount
Carmel. And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, how long
halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord God, follow him; but
if Baal, then ,follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain 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
wood, and put fire under; and I will dress the other bullock,
and lay it on wood, and put no fire under; and call ye on the
name of your gods and I will call on the name of Lord; and the
God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people
answered and said, it is welI spoken.
"And Elijah said unto 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 gods, 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,
0 Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered.
And they leaped upon 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 talking, or
he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth,
and must be awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after
their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out
upon them. And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they
prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice,
that 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 broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones,
according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto
whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be thy name;
and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord;
and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain
two measures of seed. And he put the wood in order, and cut the
bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, fill four
barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, 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,
Lord God of Abraham, 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, 0 Lord,
hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God,
and thou mayest turn their heart back again.
"Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt
sacrifice, 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 the
God; the Lord, he is the God" (1 Kings 18:17–39). |
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