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thestreamofconsciousness777 · 1 month ago

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You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess: Jerusalem, this will happen because you followed the sinful example of kings Omri and Ahab. Now I will destroy you and your property. Then the people of every nation will make fun and insult you…

“In the thirty-first year of A’sa the king of Judah, Om’ri became king over Israel for twelve years. In Tir’zah he reigned six years. And he proceeded to buy the mountain of Sa·mar’i·a from She’mer for two talents of silver, and began to build [on] the mountain and call the name of the city that he built by the name of She’mer the master of the mountain, Sa·mar’i·a. And Om’ri kept doing what was bad in the eyes of Jehovah and came to do worse than all who were prior to him. And he went walking in all the way of Jer·o·bo’am the son of Ne’bat and in his sin with which he caused Israel to sin by offending Jehovah the God of Israel with their vain idols. As for the rest of the affairs of Om’ri, what he did and his mightiness with which he acted, are they not written in the book of the affairs of the days of the kings of Israel? Finally Om’ri lay down with his forefathers and was buried in Sa·mar’i·a; and A’hab his son began to reign in place of him.

And as for A’hab the son of Om’ri, he became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of A’sa the king of Judah; and A’hab the son of Om’ri continued to reign over Israel in Sa·mar’i·a twenty-two years. And A’hab the son of Om’ri proceeded to do worse in the eyes of Jehovah than all those who were prior to him. And it came about that, [as if it were] the most trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jer·o·bo’am the son of Ne’bat, he now took as wife Jez’e·bel the daughter of Eth·ba’al the king of the Si·do’ni·ans and began to go and serve Ba’al and to bow down to him. Further, he set up an altar to Ba’al at the house of Ba’al that he built in Sa·mar’i·a. And A’hab went on to make the sacred pole; and A’hab came to do more to offend Jehovah the God of Israel than all the kings of Israel that happened to be prior to him.

In his days Hi’el the Beth’el·ite built Jer’i·cho. At the forfeit of A·bi’ram his firstborn he laid the foundation of it, and at the forfeit of Se’gub his youngest he put up its doors, according to Jehovah’s word that he spoke by means of Joshua the son of Nun.

And E·li’jah the Tish’bite from the inhabitants of Gil’e·ad proceeded to say to A’hab: “As Jehovah the God of Israel before whom I do stand is living, there will occur during these years neither dew nor rain, except at the order of my word!”

The word of Jehovah now came to him, saying: “Go away from here, and you must turn your way eastward and conceal yourself at the torrent valley of Che’rith that is east of the Jordan. And it must occur that from the torrent valley you should drink, and the ravens I shall certainly command to supply you food there.” Immediately he went and did according to the word of Jehovah, and so went and took up dwelling by the torrent valley of Che’rith that is east of the Jordan. And the ravens themselves were bringing him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and from the torrent valley he kept drinking. But it came about at the end of some days that the torrent valley became dry, because there had occurred no downpour upon the earth.

The word of Jehovah now came to him, saying: “Rise up, go to Zar’e·phath, which belongs to Si’don, and you must dwell there. Look! I shall certainly command there a woman, a widow, to supply you food.” Accordingly he rose up and went to Zar’e·phath and came into the entrance of the city; and, look! a woman, a widow, was there gathering up pieces of wood. So he called to her and said: “Please, get me a sip of water in a vessel that I may drink.” When she began to go and get it, he went on to call to her and say: “Please, get me a bit of bread in your hand.” At this she said: “As Jehovah your God is living, I have no round cake, but a handful of flour in the large jar and a little oil in the small jar; and here I am gathering up a few pieces of wood, and I must go in and make something for myself and my son, and we shall have to eat it and die.”

Then E·li’jah said to her: “Do not be afraid. Go in, do according to your word. Only from what is there make me a small round cake first, and you must bring it out to me, and for yourself and your son you can make something afterward. For this is what Jehovah the God of Israel has said, ‘The large jar of flour itself will not get exhausted, and the small jar of oil itself will not fail until the day of Jehovah’s giving a downpour upon the surface of the ground.’” So she went and did according to E·li’jah’s word; and she continued to eat, she together with him and her household, for days. The large jar of flour itself did not get exhausted, and the small jar of oil itself did not fail, according to Jehovah’s word that he had spoken by means of E·li’jah.

And it came about after these things that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick, and his sickness came to be so severe that there was no breath left in him. At this she said to E·li’jah: “What do I have to do with you, O man of the [true] God? You have come to me to bring my error to mind and to put my son to death.” But he said to her: “Give me your son.” Then he took him from her bosom and carried him up to the roof chamber, where he was dwelling, and laid him upon his own couch. And he began calling to Jehovah and saying: “O Jehovah my God, is it also upon the widow with whom I am residing as an alien that you must bring injury by putting her son to death?” And he proceeded to stretch himself upon the child three times and call to Jehovah and say: “O Jehovah my God, please, cause the soul of this child to come back within him.” Finally Jehovah listened to E·li’jah’s voice, so that the soul of the child came back within him and he came to life. E·li’jah now took the child and brought him down from the roof chamber into the house and gave him to his mother; and E·li’jah then said: “See, your son is alive.” Upon that the woman said to E·li’jah: “Now, indeed, I do know that you are a man of God and that Jehovah’s word in your mouth is true.”

And it came about [after] many days that Jehovah’s own word came to E·li’jah in the third year, saying: “Go, show yourself to A’hab, as I am determined to give rain upon the surface of the ground.” Accordingly E·li’jah went to show himself to A’hab, while the famine was severe in Sa·mar’i·a.

Meantime, A’hab called O·ba·di’ah, who was over the household. (Now O·ba·di’ah himself had proved to be one greatly fearing Jehovah. Hence it came about that when Jez’e·bel cut off Jehovah’s prophets, O·ba·di’ah proceeded to take a hundred prophets and keep them hid by fifties in a cave, and he supplied them bread and water.) And A’hab went on to say to O·ba·di’ah: “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the torrent valleys. Perhaps we may find green grass, that we may preserve the horses and mules alive and may not have [any more] of the beasts cut off.” So they divided between themselves the land through which to pass. A’hab himself went alone by one way, and O·ba·di’ah himself went alone by another way.

As O·ba·di’ah continued on the way, why, there was E·li’jah to meet him. At once he recognized him and fell upon his face and said: “Is this you, my lord E·li’jah?” At this he said to him: “It is I. Go, say to your lord, ‘Here is E·li’jah.’” But he said: “What sin have I committed that you should be putting your servant into the hand of A’hab to put me to death? As Jehovah your God is living, there is not a nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to look for you. After they had said, ‘He is not [here],’ he made the kingdom and the nation swear that they could not find you. And now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your lord: “Here is E·li’jah.”’ And it is bound to occur that, when I myself go from you, then the spirit of Jehovah itself will carry you away to where I shall not know; and I shall have come to tell A’hab, and he will not find you, and he will be bound to kill me, as your servant himself has feared Jehovah from his youth. Has not my lord been told what I did when Jez’e·bel killed the prophets of Jehovah, how I kept some of the prophets of Jehovah hid, a hundred men by fifties in a cave, and kept supplying them bread and water? And now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your lord: “Here is E·li’jah.”’ And he will be bound to kill me.” However, E·li’jah said: “As Jehovah of armies before whom I do stand is living, today I shall show myself to him.”

Accordingly O·ba·di’ah went off to meet A’hab and told him; and so A’hab went to meet E·li’jah.

And it came about that, as soon as A’hab saw E·li’jah, A’hab immediately said to him: “Is this you, the bringer of ostracism upon Israel?”

To this he said: “I have not brought ostracism upon Israel, but you and the house of your father have, because YOU men have left the commandments of Jehovah, and you went following the Ba’als. And now send, collect together all Israel to me at Mount Car’mel and also the four hundred and fifty prophets of Ba’al and the four hundred prophets of the sacred pole, who are eating at the table of Jez’e·bel.” And A’hab proceeded to send among all the sons of Israel and collect the prophets together at Mount Car’mel.

Then E·li’jah approached all the people and said: “How long will YOU be limping upon two different opinions? If Jehovah is the [true] God, go following him; but if Ba’al is, go following him.” And the people did not say a word in answer to him. And E·li’jah went on to say to the people: “I myself have been left as a prophet of Jehovah, I alone, while the prophets of Ba’al are four hundred and fifty men. Now let them give us two young bulls, and let them choose for themselves one young bull and cut it in pieces and put it upon the wood, but they should not put fire to it. And I myself shall dress the other young bull, and I must place it upon the wood, but I shall not put fire to it. And YOU must call upon the name of YOUR god, and I, for my part, shall call upon the name of Jehovah; and it must occur that the [true] God that answers by fire is the [true] God.” To this all the people answered and said: “The thing is good.”

E·li’jah now said to the prophets of Ba’al: “Choose for yourselves one young bull and dress it first, because YOU are the majority; and call upon the name of YOUR god, but YOU must not put fire to it.” Accordingly they took the young bull that he gave them. Then they dressed it, and they kept calling upon the name of Ba’al from morning till noon, saying: “O Ba’al, answer us!” But there was no voice, and there was no one answering. And they kept limping around the altar that they had made. And it came about at noon that E·li’jah began to mock them and say: “Call at the top of YOUR voice, for he is a god; for he must be concerned with a matter, and he has excrement and has to go to the privy. Or maybe he is asleep and ought to wake up!” And they began calling at the top of their voice and cutting themselves according to their custom with daggers and with lances, until they caused blood to flow out upon them. And it came about that, as soon as noon was past and they continued behaving as prophets until the going up of the grain offering, there was no voice, and there was no one answering, and there was no paying of attention.

At length E·li’jah said to all the people: “Approach me.” So all the people approached him. Then he proceeded to mend the altar of Jehovah that was torn down. So E·li’jah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom Jehovah’s word had come, saying: “Israel is what your name will become.” And he went on to build the stones into an altar in the name of Jehovah and to make a trench, of about the area sowed with two seah measures of seed, all around the altar. After that he put the pieces of wood in order and cut the young bull in pieces and placed it upon the pieces of wood. He now said: “FILL four large jars with water and pour it upon the burnt offering and upon the pieces of wood.” Then he said: “Do it again.” So they did it again. But he said: “Do it a third time.” So they did it a third time. Thus the water went all around the altar, and the trench also he filled with water.

And it came about at the time that the grain offering goes up that E·li’jah the prophet began to approach and say: “O Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that you are God in Israel and I am your servant and it is by your word that I have done all these things. Answer me, O Jehovah, answer me, that this people may know that you, Jehovah, are the [true] God and you yourself have turned their heart back.”

At that the fire of Jehovah came falling and went eating up the burnt offering and the pieces of wood and the stones and the dust, and the water that was in the trench it licked up. When all the people saw it, they immediately fell upon their faces and said: “Jehovah is the [true] God! Jehovah is the [true] God!” Then E·li’jah said to them: “Seize the prophets of Ba’al! Do not let a single one of them escape!” At once they seized them, and E·li’jah then brought them down to the torrent valley of Ki’shon and slaughtered them there.

E·li’jah now said to A’hab: “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the turmoil of a downpour.” And A’hab proceeded to go up to eat and drink. As for E·li’jah, he went up to the top of Car’mel and began crouching to the earth and keeping his face put between his knees. Then he said to his attendant: “Go up, please. Look in the direction of the sea.” So he went up and looked and then said: “There is nothing at all.” And he went on to say, “Go back,” for seven times. And it came about at the seventh time that he got to say: “Look! There is a small cloud like a man’s palm ascending out of the sea.” He now said: “Go up, say to A’hab, ‘Hitch up! And go down that the downpour may not detain you!’” And it came about in the meantime that the heavens themselves darkened up with clouds and wind and a great downpour began to occur. And A’hab kept riding and made his way to Jez’re·el. And the very hand of Jehovah proved to be upon E·li’jah, so that he girded up his hips and went running ahead of A’hab all the way to Jez’re·el.

Then A’hab told Jez’e·bel all that E·li’jah had done and all about how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. At that Jez’e·bel sent a messenger to E·li’jah, saying: “So may the gods do, and so may they add to it, if at this time tomorrow I shall not make your soul like the soul of each one of them!” And he became afraid. Consequently he rose up and began to go for his soul and came to Be’er-she’ba, which belongs to Judah. Then he left his attendant behind there. And he himself went into the wilderness a day’s journey, and at length came and sat down under a certain broom tree. And he began to ask that his soul might die and to say: “It is enough! Now, O Jehovah, take my soul away, for I am no better than my forefathers.”

Finally he lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree. But, look! now an angel was touching him. Then he said to him: “Rise up, eat.” When he looked, why, there at his head was a round cake upon heated stones and a jug of water. And he began to eat and drink, after which he lay down again. Later the angel of Jehovah came back a second time and touched him and said: “Rise up, eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he rose up and ate and drank, and he kept going in the power of that nourishment for forty days and forty nights as far as the mountain of the [true] God, Ho’reb.

There he finally entered into a cave, that he might spend the night there; and, look! there was Jehovah’s word for him, and it went on to say to him: “What is your business here, E·li’jah?” To this he said: “I have been absolutely jealous for Jehovah the God of armies; for the sons of Israel have left your covenant, your altars they have torn down, and your prophets they have killed with the sword, so that I only am left; and they begin looking for my soul to take it away.” But it said: “Go out, and you must stand on the mountain before Jehovah.” And, look! Jehovah was passing by, and a great and strong wind was rending mountains and breaking crags before Jehovah. (Jehovah was not in the wind.) And after the wind there was a quaking. (Jehovah was not in the quaking.) And after the quaking there was a fire. (Jehovah was not in the fire.) And after the fire there was a calm, low voice. And it came about that as soon as E·li’jah heard it, he immediately wrapped his face in his official garment and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave; and, look! there was a voice for him, and it proceeded to say to him: “What is your business here, E·li’jah?” To this he said: “I have been absolutely jealous for Jehovah the God of armies; for the sons of Israel have left your covenant, your altars they have torn down, and your prophets they have killed with the sword, so that I only am left; and they begin looking for my soul to take it away.”

Jehovah now said to him: “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; and you must come in and anoint Haz’a·el as king over Syria. And Je’hu the grandson of Nimʹshi you should anoint as king over Israel; and E·li’sha the son of Sha’phat from A’bel-me·ho’lah you should anoint as prophet in place of you. And it must occur that the one escaping from Haz’a·el’s sword, Je’hu will put to death; and the one escaping from Je’hu’s sword, E·li’sha will put to death. And I have let seven thousand remain in Israel, all the knees that have not bent down to Ba’al, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” Accordingly he went from there and found E·li’sha the son of Sha’phat while he was plowing with twelve spans before him, and he with the twelfth. So E·li’jah crossed over to him and threw his official garment upon him. At that he left the bulls and went running after E·li’jah and said: “Let me, please, kiss my father and my mother. Then I will go following you.” At this he said to him: “Go, return; for what have I done to you?” So he returned from following him and then took a span of the bulls and sacrificed them, and with the implements of the bulls he boiled their flesh and then gave it to the people, and they proceeded to eat. After that he rose up and went following E·li’jah and began to minister to him.

As for Ben-ha’dad the king of Syria, he collected all his military forces together and also thirty-two kings with him and horses and chariots, and he proceeded to go up and lay siege to Sa·mar’i·a and fight against it. Then he sent messengers to A’hab the king of Israel at the city. And he went on to say to him: “This is what Ben-ha’dad has said, ‘Your silver and your gold are mine, and your wives and your sons, the best looking, are mine.’” To this the king of Israel answered and said: “According to your word, my lord the king, yours I am with all that belongs to me.”

Later the messengers came back and said: “This is what Ben-ha’dad has said, ‘I sent to you, saying: “Your silver and your gold and your wives and your sons you will give me. But about this time tomorrow I shall send my servants to you, and they must carefully search your house and the houses of your servants; and it must occur that everything desirable to your eyes they will put in their hand, and they must take it away.”’”

At that the king of Israel called all the older men of the land and said: “Take note, please, and see that it is calamity that this one is seeking; for he sent to me for my wives and my sons and my silver and my gold, and I did not hold them back from him.” Then all the older men and all the people said to him: “Do not obey, and you should not consent.” So he said to the messengers of Ben-ha’dad: “Say to my lord the king, ‘All that you sent to your servant at first I shall do; but this thing I am not able to do.’” With that the messengers went off and brought word back to him.

Ben-ha’dad now sent to him and said: “So may the gods do to me, and so may they add to it, if the dust of Sa·mar’i·a will be sufficient for handfuls for all the people that follow me!” In turn the king of Israel answered and said: “YOU men, speak [to him], ‘Do not let one girding on boast about himself like one unfastening.’” And it came about that as soon as he heard this word, while he himself and the kings were drinking in the booths, he immediately said to his servants: “Get set!” And they began to get set against the city.

And, look! a certain prophet approached A’hab the king of Israel and then said: “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘Have you seen all this great crowd? Here I am giving it into your hand today, and you will certainly know that I am Jehovah.’” Then Aʹhab said: “By whom?” to which he said: “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘By the young men of the princes of the jurisdictional districts.’” Finally he said: “Who will open the battle engagement?” to which he said: “You!”

And he proceeded to take the count of the young men of the princes of the jurisdictional districts, and they came to be two hundred and thirty-two; and after them he took the count of all the people, all the sons of Israel, seven thousand. And they began to go out at noon while Ben-ha’dad was drinking himself drunk in the booths, he together with the kings, the thirty-two kings that were helping him. When the young men of the princes of the jurisdictional districts came out first, Ben-ha’dad at once sent out; and they came telling him, saying: “There are men that have come out from Sa·mar’i·a.” At that he said: “Whether it is for peace that they have come out, YOU should seize them alive; or whether it is for battle that they have come out, alive is how YOU should seize them.” And these were the ones that came out from the city, the young men of the princes of the jurisdictional districts and the military forces that were behind them. And they began to strike down each one his man; and the Syrians took to flight, and Israel went in pursuit of them, but Ben-ha’dad the king of Syria got to escape upon a horse together with the horsemen. But the king of Israel went out and kept striking down the horses and the chariots, and he struck down the Syrians with a great slaughter.

Later the prophet approached the king of Israel and said to him: “Go, strengthen yourself and take note and see what you are going to do; for at the return of the year the king of Syria is coming up against you.”

As for the servants of the king of Syria, they said to him: “Their God is a God of mountains. That is why they proved stronger than we were. So, on the other hand, let us fight against them on the level land [and see] whether we shall not prove stronger than they are. And do this thing: Remove the kings each one from his place and put in governors instead of them. As for you, you should number a military force for yourself equal to the military force that fell from your side, with horse for horse and chariot for chariot; and let us fight against them on the level land [and see] whether we shall not prove stronger than they are.” Accordingly he listened to their voice and did just that way.

And it came about at the return of the year that Ben-ha’dad proceeded to muster the Syrians and to go up to A’phek for battle against Israel. As for the sons of Israel, they were mustered and supplied and began to go out to meet them; and the sons of Israel went into camp in front of them like two tiny flocks of goats, while the Syrians, for their part, filled the earth. Then the man of the [true] God approached and said to the king of Israel, yes, he went on to say: “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘For the reason that the Syrians have said: “Jehovah is a God of mountains, and he is not a God of low plains,” I shall have to give all this great crowd into your hand, and YOU men will certainly know that I am Jehovah.’”

And they continued encamped for seven days, these in front of those. And it came about on the seventh day that the engagement in battle began; and the sons of Israel went striking down the Syrians, a hundred thousand men on foot in one day. And those that were left went fleeing to A’phek, to the city; and the wall came falling down upon twenty-seven thousand men that were left. As for Ben-ha’dad, he fled and finally came into the city into the innermost chamber.

So his servants said to him: “Here, now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are kings of loving-kindness. Please, let us carry sackcloth upon our loins and ropes upon our heads, and let us go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will preserve your soul alive.” Accordingly they girded sackcloth about their loins, with ropes upon their heads, and came in to the king of Israel and said: “Your servant Ben-ha’dad has said, ‘Please, let my soul live.’” To this he said: “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” So the men themselves took it as an omen and quickly took it as a decision of his own accord, and they went on to say: “Ben-ha’dad is your brother.” At that he said: “Come, fetch him.” Then Ben-ha’dad went out to him; and he at once had him get up into the chariot.

[Ben-ha’dad] now said to him: “The cities that my father took from your father I shall return; and streets you will assign to yourself in Damascus the same as my father assigned in Sa·mar’i·a.” “And as for me, in a covenant I shall send you away. ”With that he concluded a covenant with him and sent him away.

And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his friend by the word of Jehovah: “Strike me, please.” But the man refused to strike him. Therefore he said to him: “For the reason that you did not listen to the voice of Jehovah, here you are going away from me, and a lion will certainly strike you down.” After that he went away from beside him, and the lion got to find him and strike him down. And he went on to find another man and to say: “Strike me, please.” So the man struck him, striking and wounding.

Then the prophet went and stood still for the king by the road, and he kept himself disguised with a bandage over his eyes. And it came about that as the king was passing by, he cried out to the king and proceeded to say: “Your servant himself went out into the thick of the battle; and, look! a man was leaving the line, and he came bringing a man to me and then said, ‘Guard this man. If he should in any way be missing, your soul will also have to take the place of his soul, or else a talent of silver you will weigh out.’ And it came about that as your servant was active here and there, why, he himself was gone.” At this the king of Israel said to him: “Thus your own judgment is. You yourself have decided.” Upon that he hurriedly removed the bandage from over his eyes, and the king of Israel got to recognize him, that he was from the prophets. He now said to him: “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘For the reason that you have let go out of your hand the man devoted to me for destruction, your soul must take the place of his soul, and your people the place of his people.’” At that the king of Israel went on his way toward his house, sullen and dejected, and came to Sa·marʹi·a.”

- 1 Kings 16:23-34 & 17-20, NWT

How Long Will You Be Limping Upon Two Different Opinions?

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