CHAP. XVI. The Successors of Roboam and Jeroboam. ROBOAM reigned seventeen years over Juda, and under his rule idolatry spread over the land. The people built altars, carved images, and planted groves of trees in honour of their idols, as was the custom with the heathen, upon the high hills, and in every way debased and defiled themselves with sin. The vengeance of God fell upon them, and the reigning king of Egypt invaded their country and took Jerusalem, and carried off many of the treasures which Solomon had gathered together in the house of the Lord. When Roboam died, his son Abiam succeeded him, and for the three years of his reign imitated all his father's sins. Abiam's son Asa returned to the true faith, cut down the idolatrous groves and burnt the idols, and for many years governed his people in peace. Towards the end of his reign he sinned in depending upon an alliance with the Syrians, to defend him against Baasa the king of Israel, rather than in trusting to God alone. After ruling forty-one years, he was succeeded by his son Josaphat. Meanwhile, idolatry and wickedness were triumphant in the ten tribes of Israel. Jeroboam was succeeded by his son Nadab, who, after an idolatrous reign of two years, was murdered by Baasa, one of his subjects, who seized the vacant throne and cut off every one of his family. Baasa reigned four-and-twenty years, as wickedly as his predecessor; and his son Ela, who succeeded him, was murdered by Zambri, one of his generals. Zambri again was attacked by the people whom he sought to govern, and burnt in the royal palace ; and another general, Amri, was made king. He again followed the path of Jeroboam, and when he died, transferred the throne to his son Achab, a prince, if possible, worse than all who had gone before him, and married to a heathen queen, named Jezabel. Notwithstanding, however, the almost universal pro M fligacy of the age, a chosen few still remained faithful to God, and never bowed the knee to Baal, or any other of the idol-gods. Of these hidden faithful ones, for they were scarcely known amidst the multitudes of the idolaters, Elias, or Elijah, the Thesbite, was distinguished by God with His choicest favours. He was a prophet, and was employed many times by the Almighty to warn his miserable countrymen of their sins, and was a special figure of the Baptist who was hereafter to appear before the coming of the Redeemer, and prepare His way by preaching repentance, as Elias had done. The Scripture first records his being sent to his sovereign Achab, and saying: As the Lord liveth the God of Israel, in whose sight I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to the words of my mouth. And the word of the Lord came to him, saying: Get thee hence, and go towards the east; and hide thyself by the torrent of Carith, which is over-against the Jordan. And there thou shalt drink of the torrent: and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. So he went, and did according to the word of the Lord: and going, he dwelt by the torrent Carith, which is over-against the Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening: and he drank of the torrent. But after some time the torrent was dried up: for it had not rained upon the earth. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying: Arise, and go to Sarephta of the Sidonians, and dwell there: for I have commanded a widow-woman there to feed thee. He arose, and went to Sarephta. And when he was come to the gate of the city, he saw the widow-woman gathering sticks; and he called her, and said to her: Give me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And when she was going to fetch it, he called after her, saying: Bring me also, I beseech thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand. And she answered: As the Lord thy God liveth, I have no bread, but only a handful of meal in a pot, and a little oil in a cruse; 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 Elias said to her: Fear not: but go, and do as thou hast said; but first make for me of the same meal a little hearth-cake, and bring it to me; and after make for thyself and thy son. For thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: The pot of meal shall not waste, nor the cruse of oil be diminished, until the day wherein the Lord will give rain upon the face of the earth. She went, and did according to the word of Elias: and he ate, and she, and her house: and from that day the pot of meal wasted not, and the cruse of oil was not diminished, according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke in the hand of Elias. And it came to pass after this, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick and the sickness was very grievous, so that there was no breath left in him. And she said to Elias: What have I to do with thee, thou man of God? art thou come to me that my iniquities should be remembered, and that thou shouldst kill my son? And Elias said to her: Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him into the upper 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 afflicted also the widow, with whom I am after a sort maintained, so as to kill her son? And he stretched, and measured himself upon the child three times; and cried to the Lord, and said: O Lord my God, let the soul of this child, I beseech Thee, return into his body. And the Lord heard the voice of Elias and the soul of the child returned into him: and he revived. And Elias took the child, and brought him down from the upper chamber to the house below, and delivered him to his mother, and said to her: Behold, thy son liveth. And the woman said to Elias: Now, by this I know that thou art a man of God: and the word of the Lord in thy mouth is true. : CHAP. XVII. Elias and the Priests of Baal. AFTER a while the word of the Lord came again to the prophet, saying: Go, and shew thyself to Achab, that I may give rain upon the face of the earth. And Elias went to shew himself to Achab: and there was a grievous famine in Samaria. And Achab called Abdias the governor of his house: now Abdias feared the Lord very much. For when Jezabel killed the prophets of the Lord, he took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty and fifty in caves, and fed them with bread and water. And Achab said to Abdias: Go into the land unto all fountains of waters, and into all valleys, to see if we can find grass, and save the horses and mules, that the beasts may not utterly perish. And they divided the countries between them, that they might go round about them: Achab went one way, and Abdias another way by himself. And as Abdias was in the way, Elias met him and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said: Art thou my lord Elias? And he answered: I am. Go, and tell thy master: Elias is here. And he said: What have I sinned, that thou wouldst deliver me thy servant into the hand of Achab, that he should kill me? As the Lord thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my Lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when all answered: He is not here; he took an oath of every kingdom and nation, because thou wast not found. And now thou sayest to me: Go, and tell thy master: Elias is here. And when I am gone from thee, the Spirit of the Lord will carry thee into a place that I know not: and I shall go in and tell Achab, and he not finding thee, will kill me: but thy servant feareth the Lord from his infancy. Hath it not been told thee, my lord, what I did when Jezabel killed the prophets of the Lord; how I hid a hundred men of the prophets of the Lord, by fifty and fifty in caves, and fed them with bread and water? And now thou sayest: Go, and tell thy master: Elias is here: that he may kill me. And Elias said: As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whose face I stand, this day I will shew myself unto him. Abdias therefore went to meet Achab, and told him: and Achab came to meet Elias. And when he had seen him, he said: Art thou he that troublest Israel? And he said: I have not troubled Israel, but thou and thy father's house, who have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and have followed Baalim. Nevertheless send now, and gather unto me all Israel, unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, who eat at Jezabel's table. Achab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered together the prophets unto mount Carmel. And Elias coming to all the people, said: How long do you halt between two sides? If the Lord be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people did not answer him a word. And Elias said again to the people: I only remain a prophet of the Lord: but the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty men. Let two bullocks be given us and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it upon wood, but put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under it. Call ye on the names of your gods; and I will call on the name of my Lord and the God that shall answer by fire, let him be God. And all the people answering, said: A very good proposal. Then Elias said to the prophets of Baal: Choose you one bullock, and dress it first, because you are many: and call on the names of your gods; but put no fire under. And they took the bullock which he gave them, and dressed it: and they called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying: O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered: and they leaped over the altar that they had made. And when it was now noon, Elias jested at them, saying: Cry with a louder voice: for he is a god; and perhaps he is talking, or is in an inn, or on a journey; or perhaps he is asleep, and must be awaked. So they cried with a loud voice; and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till they |